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PALESTINE

ILGRIMS' TEXT

SOCIETY^

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BURCHARD

OF MOUNT SION.

A.D. 1280,

AUBREY STEWART, M.A.

IVJT// GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES

LIEUT.-COL. C. R. CONDER, R.E., LL.D., Etc.

LONDON :
24, HANOVER SQUARE, W.
I

101

tlx.

PREFACE.

BURCHARD OF MoUNT SlON was a German, a native either
of Strasburg or of Magdeburg, and lived in the thirteenth
century. He became a monk of the Dominican Order,
and went to the East in 1232. Here he visited Egypt,
Syria, and what was then called Armenia, being the ancient
kingdom of Cilicia. He is said to have passed ten years
at the monastery of Mount Sion at Jerusalem, and did not
return to Europe till late in life. The date of his death
is not known.

The tone of his writings, considering the age in which he
lived, is remarkably tolerant, and the accuracy of his de-
scriptions has, in many instances, led M. d'Anville to
follow him as a guide. J. C. M. Laurent, from whose
edition of Burchard I have made this translation, declares
him to be the most notable of all mediaeval pilgrims what-
soever. Yet, although his excellence has led to his book
being more than twenty times edited, none of his previous
editors give a perfect text, and none agree as to his
name which occurs as Borcardus, Brocardus, Berghadus,
etc.

PREFA CE

Burchard himself, Laurent goes on to say, made two
editions of his book ; the first was put forth privately in
the form of a letter with a map, and its success led to a
corrected copy being published as a book. Hence arise the
remarkable discrepancies in the text which appear when
one edition is compared with another. For instance, in the
* City of Jerusalem' in this series, p. 12, Colonel Conder
has quoted the words ' Relictis tamen vestigiis prioris con-
cavitatis,' showing that in the Middle Ages the Tyropoeon
valley was not so much filled up as it now is. These words
do not occur in Laurent's text, but in chapter viii, the corre-
sponding passage runs : ' At this day the whole of this
torrent-bed is filled up ; nevertheless, its traces may be
made out after a fashion.'

Laurent quotes two passages from Henricus Canisius,
who printed the earlier edition of our author. In both of
these passages Burchard alludes familiarly to places in and
about Magdeburg as measures of distance, from which
Laurent thinks that we may safely assume hini to have
been a German, if not a native of that city.

A more important consideration is the date of his
writings, and of his visit to Palestine. The events which
he mentions prove that he wrote after the years 1260, 1263,
1268, and 1271, and before 1291 and 1285 ; so that the date
1283, though not set down by himself, seems likely to be
the true one. Some writers say that he passed the ten
years 1275 — 1285 in the Holy Land (see M. V. le Clerc,
' Histoire Litterairede la France,' xxi. 182). He certainly
passed two years there, from what he says in chapter iv.

PRE FA CE

He was there in the reign of Malek-al-Mansour Calavun/
Soldan of Egypt, the successor of Bibars, and wrote eight
years before the end of the Crusades in the time of Henry,
King of Cyprus and Jerusalem, and during the ten years'
truce which Calavun made in the year 1282 with the
Templars and Hospitallers. His title of De Monte Sion is
supposed to be derived from his long residence in the
convent there, but there seems to be no positive evidence
to prove this.

Burchard was sincerely free from bigotry, although he
seems to have been singularly pious. His charity to other
sects is remarkable, and his reading appears to have been
extensive. He shows much intelligence, both in learning
what he could during his travels, and in digesting the infor-
mation which he received. He lived among heretics and
infidels, Nestorians, Armenians, and Syrians, as though they
were his brethren. More than any other contemporary writer
he shows that strange mixture of courage and humility, of
faith and curiosity, which seems the characteristic of
Crusaders in the thirteenth century, the heroic period of
the Middle Ages. He was able to visit towns now de-
stroyed, and flourishing regions which are now waste. He
was not, of course, without credulity, and mixes fabulous
tales and sage reflections together, but, in the words of M.
V. le Clerc, ' II faut reconnaitre chez ce religieux un esprit
fort eleve, qui, au moment ou les croisades finissent, raconte
avec une naivete admirable ce qu'il a vu ou cru voir. Nous
devons a sa curiosite attentive des observations importantes

1 El-Melek El-Mansur Kalaiin (1279-90).

PREFACE

de geographic et d'histoire naturelle ' (* Histoire Litteraire
de la France,' xxi. 182).

Fabri (i. 4, 17) mentions Burchard by name ; Marino
Sanuto transcribed many passages from his book, which,
indeed, has been plagiarized by other pilgrims also — a
sincere tribute to its excellence. It is from Burchard that
succeeding generations of pilgrims have derived the tire-
some geographical subdivisions of Palestine, Syria and
Arabia, the eternal ' caput Syriae Damascus,' and the
rambling talk about Ituraea and Trachonitis, which they
all repeat with more or less inaccuracy. Burchard writes
good mediaeval Latin, and quotes Horace as well as Jerome
and Eusebius. Unfortunately, he describes the Holy Land
by means of several lines (divisiones) radiating from the city
of Acre, an arrangement which does not tend to clearness
of definition, but which has been copied, together with
much else, by Marino Sanuto.

The topography has been annotated by Lieut.-Colonel
C. R. Conder, R.E.. LL.D.

AUBREY STEWART.

London, 1896.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PAGE

translator's preface -------- iii

PREFACE - - - I

FIRST DIVISION OF THE HOLY LAND 5

SECOND DIVISION OF THE HOLY LAND - - - - - 21

THIRD DIVISION OF THE HOLY LAND 26

FOURTH DIVISION OF THE HOLY LAND - - - - - 31

SECOND DIVISION OF THE EASTERN QUARTER - - - 38

THIRD DIVISION OF THE EASTERN QUARTER - - - - 44

JERUSALEM - - - - 65

THE PLACES ROUND ABOUT JERUSALEM ----- 84

FIRST DIVISION OF THE SOUTHERN QUARTER - " " 93

THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF THE HOLY LAND - - - 97

THE FRUITS AND BEASTS OF THE HOLY LAND - - - 99

THE VARIOUS RELIGIONS OF THE HOLY LAND - - - 102

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,
BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

PREFACE.

St. Jerome^ tells us that we read in ancient histories about
men who have visited countries and crossed seas to the end
that they might behold with their eyes the things whereof
they had read in books. Thus, Plato visited the sooth-
sayers of Memphis, and Apollonius went to Egypt ; he
also entered Persia, crossed the Caucasus, and the countries
of the Albanians, Scythians, Massagetae, India, and the
Brachmans, that he might see larchas,^ and finally went to
Egypt, that he might see the famous table of the sun in
the sandy desert. What wonder, then, if Christians long to
behold and visit the land whereof all Christ's Churches tell
us ? The men of old venerated the Holy of Holies, because
therein was the ark of the covenant, the cherubim with the

^ Epistola liii,, ad Paulinum : ' De Studio Scripturarum.' The
passage, which Burchardus seems to quote from memory, runs thus :
* Legimus in veteribits historiis^ qicosdam lustrasse provincias, 7iovos
adisse populos, maria tra?isissc, ut eos qiws ex libris noverant^ coram
quoque viderent. Sic Pythagoras Meinphiticos vates ; sic Plato yEgyp-
tum et Architam Tarenti7ium. . . . Apollonius iiitravit Per sas^ ^ic

^ The original letter of St. Jerome has ' Hiarcam in throno sedenteni
aureo, et de Tantali fonte potanteni.^ An account of this story will be
found in Philostratus's ' Life of Apollonius,' book iii., ch. xvi.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

mercy-seat, the manna, and Aaron's rod that flowered — all
of which were types of things to come. Is not Christ's
sepulchre more to be worshipped by us, which, whenever
any man enters, so many times seeth he with his mind's
eyes the Saviour lying there wrapped in linen clothes ? And
when he has gone a little further, he sees the stone rolled
away, and the angel sitting thereon, and showing to the
women the napkin with the grave-clothes. What Christian,
when he hath seen these, would not hasten to come unto
Bethlehem, to see the Babe weeping in the manger ; Mary
brought to bed in the inn beneath the hollow rock, which
is to be seen at this day ; the angels singing glory to God
and peace to men in the presence of the shepherds ; and,
greatest wonder of all, to see the three Magi in their noble
majesty kneeling before the manger, with no roof above
their heads save the overhanging rock ? Thence let him
return to Jerusalem, that he may see and hear Jesus preach-
ing in the Temple, teaching His disciples on the Mount of
Olives, supping on Mount Sion, washing His disciples' feet,
giving them His Body and Blood, praying in Gethsemane,
sweating blood, kissing His betrayer, being dragged away
prisoner, mocked, spat upon, judged, bearing His cross,
sinking beneath the weight of the cross before the very gate
of the city that is to be seen at this day, helped by Simon
of Cyrene, and for our sake celebrating the mysteries of His
Passion on Calvary. The memory of each and every one
of these places is still as full and complete as it was on that
day when these things were done therein. Of a truth, there
are in the city so many places hallowed by the events of
our Lord's Passion, that one day can in no wise suffice for
visiting them all profitably. Besides these, there are other
things there which rouse men in those places to a greater
degree of devotional fervour. Who could tell how many
monks and nuns from Georgia, Greater and Lesser Armenia,.

Chaldaea, Syria, Media, Persia, India, Aethiopia, Nubia,
Nabatenia, of the Maronite, Jacobite, Nestorian, Greek,
Syrian and other sects, at this day roam over that land in
troops of one or two hundred each, more or less, visit each
holy place, and with burning zeal kiss the castle and worship
the spots on which they have heard that sweet Jesus sate,
stood, or wrought any work ? Beating their breasts, weep-
ing, groaning, and sighing by turns, the outward bodily
show of the religious feeling which they no doubt possess
inwardly, moves many even of the Saracens to tears. O
Lord God, I see Abraham, as the ancient histories tell us,
leaving his country, his family, and his father's house, and
hastening to this land, pitching his tent between Bethel and
Ai, sojourning in Gerar, in Beersheba, and in Hebron. I
see Ezekiel leaving the waters of Babylon, and borne by
the hair of his head betwixt heaven and earth, winging his
way to Jerusalem. What shall I say of the glorious Virgin,
who, after the annunciation made to her by the angel, and
the promise whereby she knew that her womb was made
the House of God, was not content with the wide and fair
plains of Galilee, but straightway hastened to go up to the
hill country of Judaea, desiring to be nearer to the holy
places ^ What shall I say about the patriarch Jacob, and
Joseph and his brethren, who, because they could not dwell
in that land during their lives, chose to be buried therein
after their deaths ?

What more need I say } Well may we groan over the
lukewarmness of the Christian people of our time, who,
having so many and such great examples before their eyes,
hesitate to snatch away from the hands of the enemy that
land which Christ Jesus hallowed with His blood, and
whose praises are daily sung by the Church throughout all
the world : for what hour is there of the day or night all
the year round wherein every devout Christian doth not by

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

singing, reading, chanting, preaching, and meditating, read
what hath been done or written in this land and in its cities
and holy places ?

Seeing, however, that some are possessed by a desire to
picture to their minds those things which they are not able
to behold with their eyes, and wishing to fulfil their longinp^,
as far as in me lieth, I have, to the best of my ability, thought
about, diligently taken note of, and laboriously described
that land, over which my feet have often passed ; for I
would have the reader to know that I have set down in this
my description nought save what I have either seen with
mine own eyes, when at the place itself, or, when I could not
come at it, what I have seen from some neighbouring
mountain- top or other convenient place, and have carefully
noted the answers given by the Syrian or Saracen, or other
people of the land, whom I most diligently questioned.

Indeed, as I have already said, I have either walked on
foot all over the whole land, from Dan to Beersheba, from
the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, which are its
boundaries, or else I have carefully made inquiries about
the places which I could not come at.

Considering how I might describe this profitably, so that
the mind of my reader might easily understand what I have
to tell, 1 thought that I would choose some central point,
and arrange the whole land round about it in due order.
For this centre I have chosen the city of Acre, as being
better known than any other. Yet this city is not
in the midst of the land, but stands by the seaside on its
western boundary. Thence I have drawn four lines, corre-
sponding to the four quarters of the world ; and each quarter
I have divided into three parts, to the end that those twelve
divisions may answer to the twelve winds of heaven. In
each of these divisions I have placed the cities and places
mentioned in Scripture, that it may be easy to find the

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

situation of each place, and the part of the world wherein
it Hes.^

HERE BEGINNETH THE FIRST DIVISION OF THE HOLY

LAND.

I. You must know at the beginning that of what we call
the Holy Land, which fell to the lot of the twelve tribes of
Israel, one part was called the Kingdom of Judah, and
belonged to two tribes, to wit, Judah and Benjamin ; the
other part was called the Kingdom of Samaria, that is to
say, of the city which at this day is called Sebaste, and was
the capital city of the remaining ten tribes, who were called
Israel. Both these kingdoms, together with all the land of
Philistia, were called Palestine, which was a province of
Syria, even as Saxony or Franconia are provinces of
Germany, and Lombardy and Tuscany are provinces of
Italy.2

That this may be more fully understood, take note that
there are many Syrias, called by different names. The
whole land between the river Tigris and Egypt is called
Syria generally ; but its first part, that which lies between
the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, whose longest part reaches
from north to south, to wit, from Mount Taurus even to the
Red Sea, this part is called Syria Mesopotamia, because it
stands in the midst of the waters, and it contains many
nations : for instance, the Parthians and the Medes. It is
bounded on the south by Chaldaea, wherein is Babylonia,
and this, again, is bounded on the south by Arabia, which
reaches as far as the Red Sea, which in those parts is called
the Arabian Gulf. It is the first part of this entire pro-
vince of Mesopotamia — the part, I mean, toward the north —

1 See note on the map in ' Marino Sanuto.'
^ See preface to Poloner.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

which is specially named Mesopotamia of Syria. In this
part stands the city of Edissa/ anciently called Races, now
Rase. This is Syria the first.

Syria the second is Coele Syria, which begins at the river
Euphrates, and ends at the stream of Valania, which runs
past the castle of Margat, and falls into the Mediterranean
Sea at the city of Valania, which is the see of a Bishop,
one league away from the aforesaid castle. In this province
of Coele Syria stands the city of Antioch, with its depen-
dencies, to wit, Laodicea, Apamea, and many others.

The third Syria is Phoenician Syria, which begins on
the north at the aforesaid river of Valania, and reaches to
the southward even to Petra Incisa, or the wilderness at
the foot of Mount Carmel, which place at this day is
called Pilgrims' Castle, and belongs to the Knights
Templars. In it there are many cities — for instance,
Margat, Antaradus, Tripoli, Beyrout, Sidon, Tyre, Acre,
Capernaum. It is called Phoenician Syria after Phoenice,
the daughter of Agenor who was Cadmus^s brother. He
built Tyre, and made it the chief city of this land, and
called the land after his name.

The fourth is Syria of Damascus, whereof Damascus is
the capital city. This adjoins the third Syria, Phoenician
Syria, on the east side thereof This fourth Syria is also
called Syria of Lebanon, because the famous Mount
Lebanon is contained therein.

Next to this fourth Syria, to wit, Syria of Phoenicia (szc),
Cometh Palestine, which should properly be called Philistiim,
because there are three Palestines, as follows, but all three
are parts of Greater Syria. Palestine the first is that pro-
vince whose capital city is Jerusalem, together with all the
hill country appertaining thereunto, even to the Dead Sea

1 See Ludolph von Suchem, p. 8i, note; Marino Sanuto, p. i;
Jacques de Vitry, cxxxi.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

and even to the wilderness and to Kadesh Barnea. The
capital of Palestine the second is Caesarea of Palestine,
also called Caesarea by the Sea, together with all the land
of Philistiim, beginning at Petra Incisa, or Pilgrims' Castle,
and reaching southward as far as Bashan. The third Pales-
tine is that whose capital is Bethshan, near the Jordan, at
the foot of Mount Gilboa. This city was once called
Scythopolis. This Palestine is properly called Galilee,
or the great plain of Esdraelon.

There are likewise three Arabias, which in like manner
are parts of Greater Syria. The first is that whose capital
is Bostrum, now called Buzereth, but of old Bosra.^ This
province is bounded on the west by the district of
Trachonitis and Ituraea,^ and on the north by Damascus.
For this cause Syria of Damascus is sometimes called
Arabia. This is why^ Arethas was called King of Arabia,
whereas in truth he was King of Damascus. The second
Arabia is that whose capital is the city of Petra, of old
called Rabbath, on the brook Arnon. This Arabia was
the country of the children of Ammon, albeit the city of
Ar was in the land of Moab. It also contained the
kingdom of Sihon, the King of Heshbon,^ and the kingdom
of Og, the King of Bashan, and Mount Gilead.^ It bounds
the first Arabia on the south side. Arabia the third is
that whose capital is Montreal, also called Krach,^ which
once was called Petra in the Wilderness,'' standing near

^ Bostrum is Bostra, now Basrah^ in Bashan.

2 Ituraea, now the Jedur district, but see p. 23.

^ Josephus, 'Ant.,' xiv. i, 4 ; B. J., i. 6, 2.

* Num. xxxii. 33, ^ Num. xxi. 33.

® Petra was known about iioo A.D., when Baldwin I. marched to it,
and built Montreal {Shobek) near it. It was forgotten after the loss of
Jerusalem.

Kerak was not identical with Montreal. See Poloner, pp. 14, 25,
40 ; Fabri, ii., p. 182 ; John of Wiirzburg, ch. xxii., etc. ; and Ludolph
von Suchem, p. 118, note ; also Isa. xvi. i, where 'Sela' in the A.V.

8 A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

the Dead Sea. This Arabia contains the land of Moab,
which should properly be called Syria Sobal, and all
Idumaea, which is Mount Seir, and all the country round
about the Dead Sea even unto Kadesh Barnea and Ezion
Geber, and the Waters of Strife, and towards the Red Sea
across the widest part of the wilderness even unto the
river Euphrates. This is Great Arabia, wherein is Mecca,
the city wherein the abominable Mahomet lies buried.

Let what hath been said suffice about the lands adjoining
the Holy Land. I have taken the greater part thereof
from the works^ of the venerable father in God, the Lord
James of Vitry, Legate of the Holy Roman Church in the
Holy Land, albeit I have seen most of these places with
my own eyes.

Let me now turn my pen to a particular description of
the land which fell to the lot of the ten tribes.

H. First of all, then, you must know, as is aforesaid, that
I have divided the Holy Land into four parts, which
answer to the four quarters of the heavens, to wit, east,
west, south, and north, so that the whole of the western
division looks upon the Mediterranean Sea, as also do
those parts of the southern and northern division which
adjoin the western. I will therefore begin in the straight
line with the city of Acre, anciently called Ptolemais, pro-
ceeding northwards to describe the cities and places
situated on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.

We start, then, in our description with the city of Acre,

is ' Petra' in the Vulgate. See also the fragment ' Historia Hieroso-
limitana,' Bongars, p. 1156: ' Est castrum quod Erathuiji dicunt, ubi
civitas olim, civitas Petras nomine, nunc vero metropolis. Castrum
ilium in Regni sinu penitiore consistens. . . . Est et castrum, quod
Mons Regalis dicitur, quod ab urbe jam dicta xx leucarum interjectu
distans, ulterius versus Aegyptum secedit.'

^ J. de Vitry, chs. xxviii., Ivi. and xcvi. ; pp. 1068, 1077 and 11 19 in
Bongars's Ces/a Dei per Francos.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

and go on in a straight line from thence toward Tyre,
and then to the cities beyond it, which shall be described
in their place. Be it known, however, that this city never
was part of the Holy Land, nor was it ever possessed by
the children of Israel, albeit in the division of the land
among them it was given to the tribe of Asshur, but they
of Asshur never held it. It stands in the province of
Phoenicia. Four leagues to the south is Mount Carmel
and the town of Haifa, standing at the foot of the same
mountain beyond the brook Kishon, where Elijah the
prophet slew the priests of Baal.

The province of Phoenicia, or Syria of Phoenicia, extends
three leagues to the southward of this place, even to Petra
Incisa, which is called Pilgrims' Castle. This place marks
the southern boundary of Phoenicia.

The city of Acre is fortified with walls, outworks, towers,
ditches, and barbicans of very great strength, and is
triangular in shape like a shield, whereof two sides look
upon the Mediterranean Sea, and the third upon the plain
round about it. This plain is more than two leagues wide
in some parts, and in some parts less ; it is very fertile,
both in ploughed land and in meadows, vineyards, and
gardens, wherein grow divers sorts of fruits. There are
in the city many strong places, castles_, and citadels be-
longing to the Knights of the Hospital, the Temple, and
the Teutonic Order. This city belongs to the King^ of
Jerusalem, and hath a good and roomy harbour on the
south side wherein ships may be moored.

Four leagues to the north of this, Casale Lamberti^
stands by the sea-shore, abounding likewise in vineyards,
gardens, and running waters, at the foot of Mount Sharon.

^ Either Hugh of Cyprus or Charles of Sicily, who at this time were
disputing the title of King of Jerusalem.

- Casale Lambert (or Imbert) is now Namsin, north of Acre.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Three leagues thence, after one has crossed over Mount
Sharon, is the Castle Scandalium/ which Alexander the
Great is said to have built when he was besieging Tyre.
Baldwin,- King of Jerusalem, rebuilt it, and gave it into
the keeping of certain nobles who take their title from it.
It abounds in meadows, pasturelands, plantations of figs,
olives, and vines, in running waters and gardens.

A little more than a league from thence is that noble
well of living water, a bow-shot away from the road that
leads to Tyre.^ Its waters/ we are told in the Song of
Songs, run down from Lebanon. Though^ it be called a
well in the singular number, yet there are four wells, of
the same shape, but of different sizes. The chief one,
which is square, measures forty cubits in length and in
breadth, according as I myself measured it. The other
three measure about twenty-five. They all are fenced
about with exceeding strong walls of very hard stones
joined together with unbreakable masonwork, to the
height of a lance, or even higher. In these wells the water
collects and rises, so that it overflows the walls on every
side. But watercourses lead from that place, which lead
down by channels as deep and as wide as the height of
a man, as I know by actual experiment, having myself
entered the watercourse through which the water runs.
The people of Tyre lead this water about to all parts of
the plain, and therewith water gardens, orchards, vineyards,
and sugar-canes, which grow there in great quantities,

' Scandalium is now Iskaiideranch, south of Tyre.

2 Baldwin I,, 1116, rebuilt Scandalium. Cf. Ludolph, ch. xxvii.,
p. 62, in this series.

3 This spring {Rds el ''Az'n) is at Palae Tyrus, near Tyre on the
south.

'* Cant. iv. 15 : 'A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and
streams from Lebanon.'

Marino Sanuto, iii. xiv. 2 (p. 7 in this series), reproduces this
passage.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

from which the Lord of Tyre receives great revenues.
These wells stand a little more than a bow-shot from the
Mediterranean Sea, and in that short space they turn six
good-sized mill-wheels, and then straightway fall into the
sea. These fountains seem literally to suit the passage in
Ecclesiasticus, ' I will water my best garden, and will abund-
antly water my garden bed : and lo, my brook became a
river, and my river became a sea' (Ecclus. xxiv. 31).
These waters are a great convenience to the inhabitants.

Less than a league from this well is the city of Tyre.
It stands on the sea-shore. Its praise has been sufficiently
set forth in Ezekiel,^ Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other books
of Holy Scripture. It used to have a stream of that living
water aforesaid brought thither through wondrous pipes
and pyramids,^ whose ruins may be seen even to this day.
All these places I have visited and seen with my own eyes.

The city of Tyre is said to have been built by Thiras,

son of Japhet, after the flood.' It was restored by

Phoenice, as aforesaid, and became the capital of Phoenicia.

It has a vast circuit of walls, greater in my opinion than

that of the city of Acre, and is of a round shape, standing

in the sea upon an exceeding hard rock fenced about on all

sides by the sea save only on the eastern point of the cit}',

where first Nebuchadnezzar, and afterwards Alexander,

joined it to the mainland for the space of a stone's-throw.

At this place it is fenced with three walls, strong and high,

and twenty-five feet thick. These walls are yet further

strengthened by twelve exceeding strong towers, than which

I never have seen better ones in any part of the world.

The citadel adjoins these towers ; it is an exceeding strong

castle, standing on a rock in the sea, fenced likewise with

1 Ezek. xxvii. 2, 3, 4, 8, 32 ; xxviii. 2 ; Isa. xxiii. ; Jer. xxvii. 4.
^ Tracones et piramides. Cf. Fabri, i. 461 ; Marino Sanuto, 22 ;
Jacques de Vitry, ch. xlvii.
^ Gen. X. 2.

towers and strong palaces. All the world ought nbt to be
able to take the city by fair means. In this city there are
many relics, as we learn from the * Ecclesiastical History,'^
of the martyrs who suffered there in the time of Diocletian,
whose numbers God alone knows. Origen lies buried there,
built into the wall of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
I have seen his monument there. There are pillars of
marble and of other stone of such a size that one is
astonished at the sight of them.

In this city there is an Archbishop's see. It is the
metropolitan city of Phoenicia, and hath for its suffragans
the Bishops of Berytus, Sidon, and Acre. This metro-
politan sec extends as far as Petra Incisa, or Pilgrims'
Castle, as aforesaid.

I was once there for ten days, and at many other times
I have examined it as carefully as I could.

In the sands, at a distance of two bow-shots, without its
eastern gate, they show the place where Jesus Christ
preached, where a woman in the crowd lifted up her voice
and said, * Blessed is the womb that bare Thee,' etc. They
also show a great stone, whereon Jesus Christ was then
standing. This place is never covered with sand, albeit
the sand in that place is light, and flies about even as snow
flies about in winter time in Western and Northern countries,
and is caused by the wind to make heaps round about
fences and the like places; but this place, though in the
midst of the sand, ever remaineth uncovered both in summer
and in winter, as I have seen with my own eyes.

In that place there is also an overthrown column, marking
the spot, it is said, where some pilgrims when visiting that
spot were treacherously slain by Saracens.

Three short leagues to the north of Tyre the river

1 Eusebius's 'Ecclesiastical History,' book viii.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

•3

Eleutherus^ flows into the Mediterranean Sea. This is the
river up to which Jonathan pursued after King Demetrius,
as we read in the First Book of Maccabees.^ This river flows
from Ituraea, or Galilee of the Gentiles, from the country
which of old was called the land of Roob,^ and afterwards
Kabul.^ It flows past the Castle of Belfort,^ which belonged
to the Knights Templars,^ near Ramah/ the place to which
Joshua pursued the thirty-one kings, as we read in the
Book of Joshua.^

Two leagues from this river is Sarepta of the Sidonians,'^
before whose southern gate men show a chapel in the place
where Elijah the prophet came to the woman of Sarepia,
where he abode and raised her son from the dead. The
chamber wherein he took his rest is shown there. Sarepta
has scarce eight houses standing, albeit its ruins show that
it was once a noble city.

Two leagues further is Sidon/^ a great city of Phoenicia,
whose size is proved to this day by its ruins, and was so

1 The Eleutherus is here placed at the Leontes River.

2 I Mace. xii. 30.

3 See Judges xviii. 28. Roob is for Rehob, in Upper Galilee. The
site is doubtful.

* 2 Sam. X. 6; Judges xviii. 28, compare Will, of Tyre, Book XVI
ch. xii. p. 898, also Josh. xix. 28.

^ Belfort is now KaPat esh Shakif. on the Leontes.

6 The Knights Templars held it from 1240 to 1268, so that Burchard
must be writing after the latter date.

Ramah was 10 miles south-east of Tyre, not near Belfort.

8 Josh. xii. 7. Compare also xi. 3, 8, 17, where mention is made
of Mount Hermon and of ' Mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir,
even unto Baal- gad in the Valley of Lebanon under Mount
Hermon.'

® Sarepta is now Surafend^ north of Tyre.

La partie des fortifications de Sdida, nominee le Kalaat-el-Bahar
ou chateau de la iner, est le seul ouvraoe que nous puissio7is considerer
avec certitude comme tut monunient contonporain de la Sajette des Croi-
sades; encore ce chateau ne date-t-il que du coinineiicetneiit du xiiie siecle.
II Jut co7istruit dans le cours de Phiver de 1227 d 1228, sur un roclier

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

great that were I to write it down it would scarce be
believed. It used to stand in the plain in an oblong shape,
stretching from north to south, at the foot of Mount Anti-
libanus, between it and the sea, and was an exceeding fair
city. Out of its ruins another city has been built, a small
one indeed, but a fortified one, had it but a garrison. It
stands partly on the sea, and has on either side two well-
fenced castles, one on the north, built on a rock standing
in the sea. This castle was built there by pilgrims from
Germany. The other castle is on the south side, and
stands on a hill. It is fairly strong. These castles, and
the city also, are held by the Knights Templars.

The adjoining land is exceeding fertile, abounding with
all good things, and has a very healthy climate. There are
excellent sugar-canes and vineyards.

Before the eastern gate of the ancient city, now in ruins,
stands a chapel on the place where the Canaanitish^ woman
came and besought Him for her daughter who was
possessed of a devil, on the road leading to Ituraea and
Caesarea Philippi.

Mount Antilibanus is one league to the east of Sidon.
This mountain begins at the afore- mentioned river
Eleutherus, and reaches a distance of five days' journey,
five leagues beyond Tripoli. It is never more than two
leagues distant from the sea, except near Tripoli, where it
is about three leagues distant. In some places it comes
down so near to the sea that no road can pass. It abounds
in excellent vines, as it is written, ' The scent thereof shall
be as the wine of Lebanon.'^ This good wine is made all
the way to the Castle of Margat.

zso/e dans la mer, que Von munit (Vttti revetement de maconnerie. . . .
/e chateau de Sajette fut evacue par les Francs eii \2<^\, a la suite de
la prise d^Acre. — C. Rey, Monwnejits de C Architecture Militaire.
^ Mark vii. 25. ^ Hos. xiv. 7.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

Nine leagues beyond Sidon is the noble and ancient city
of Beyrout, where also the Lord is said to have preached,
and the Jews^ made an image of paste in mockery of Him.
When at last they crucified it, they drew much blood
therefrom, which to this day is reverently preserved in
many places.

The Bishop of this city is suffragan to him of Tyre, as is
'likewise the Bishop of Sidon. The metropolitan See of
Tyre extends three leagues further, to the river called the
Dog's Pass, which there runs into the Mediterranean Sea.
Here in like manner ends the patriarchate of Jerusalem,
and the patriarchate of Antioch and the county of Tripoli
begin. This place is called the Dog's Pass,^ and cannot be
passed by land save by leave of the Saracens, for a few men
could forbid all the world to pass by there.

Six leagues from Beyrout, by the sea-shore, is Biblium,^
the first city in the patriarchate of Antioch, with a Bishop
of its own. Of this city Ezekiel makes mention in his
praise of Tyre : * The ancients of Gebal and the wise men
thereof were in thee thy calkers : all the ships of the sea
with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchan-
dise.'^ The Lord of Biblium is a vassal of the Count of
Tripoli. At this day the city is called Sibleth,'' and is very
small.

Four leagues from Biblium is Botrus,^ a city that once
was rich in exceeding noble wine, and in all this world's
goods, but now it is utterly destroyed.

1 Abbot Daniel, Ixix. ; Fetellus, p. 51 ; John of Wiirzburg, xxiv.
p. 63; 'The City of Jerusalem,' p. 48 ; Theoderich, p. 71; Jacques
de Vitry, I. xxvii., p. 1067 of Bongars.

- The Dog's Pass is at Nakr el Kelb (Dog River), N. of Beirut.
' Byblium is Gebal, now Jibeil, north of Beirut.
* Ezek. xxvii. 9.
Phocas spells it HifSeXh ; Abulfeda Giblet.
Botrus is Batriin, north of Gebal.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Threa leagues further is the Castle of Nephin,^ nearly the
whole of which stands in the sea. It belongs to the Prince
of Antioch. In it I have seen twelve good towers, and the
place is strongly fortified. The wine of this town is the
most noted of all the wines of those parts.

Two leagues beyond Nephin is Tripoli, an exceeding
noble city, standing almost entirely in the sea, like Tyre.
It is full of people, for therein dwell Greeks and Latins,
Armenians, Maronites, Nestorians, and many others. Much
work is done there in silk. I have heard for certain that
therein there are weavers of silk and camlet and other like
stuffs.

The land round about it may without doubt be called a
paradise, because of its endless beautiful vineyards and
plantations of olives, figs, and sugar-canes, the like of all
which I do not remember to have seen in any other part of
the world.

The plain before the gates of the city is one league in
length, and half a league in breadth. In this space there are
gardens, wherein divers fruits grow in such plenty that it
is said that every year they bring their owners three hundred
thousand golden byzants.

Three leagues beyond this city is Lebanon, at whose fooi^
rises the 'fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and
streams from Lebanon,' of which v/e read in Solomon's
Song.^ This fountain seems to rise meanly, but of a sudden
gathers strength, and makes a strong and exceeding great
river. It waters all the gardens and the plain between
Tripoli and Lebanon, and wondrously enriches the country.

1 Ritter, xvii. (i) 609 sq., thinks that this castle of Nephin, or
Nefrino (Nefro), as the Crusaders called it, was Cape Theouprosopon,
the modern Ras esh Shakkah, not Enfeh. A tower still stands in the
pass of /^ds esh Shakkah.

The Nahr Kadisha^ rising in Lebanon, waters Tripoli.

^ Cant. iv. 15.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

Its water is excellent, being cool and sweet, and upon its
banks many oratories and many churches are built. It
comes, as aforesaid, from the foot of the mountain, partly
circles round the Mount of Leopards, and then is led
through gardens to water them. It enters the sea in three
good-sized streams, without counting the other brooks
which likewise flow into the sea in divers places. Of a
certainty what is said in the Book of Esther^ is true of this
fountain : * As it were from a little fountain was made a
great flood, even much water.'

Two leagues from Tripoli is the Mount of Leopards,
which is round in appearance, and somewhat high, standing
at a distance of one league from Lebanon. At its foot, on
the north side, I have seen a cave wherein there is a tomb,
twelve feet long. The Saracens devoutly visit this place,
and say that it is Joshua's tomb,- which I do not believe to
be true, because the text saith that he was buried at
Timnath-heres, which is on the side of Mount Ephraim,
near Sichem, I am rather inclined to believe this to be the
sepulchre of Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of Noah, or
that of some one of his sons' children, who may be proved
to have dwelt in this very place, as shall be told hereafter.

About three leagues to the north of this cave is the end
of Antilibanus, and also of Lebanon. At the place where
they both end one is shown at this day the Castle of
Arachas,^ which Aracheus, son of Canaan, built and called
by his own name, as we learn from the gloss on Gen. x.
and I Chron. i. 15. Exceeding glorious, beauteous, and
fertile is this land at the end of Lebanon. As for the
situation and length of Lebanon, I will tell you of this when
I come to make mention of Caesarea Philippi, and the
source of the Jordan.

1 Esth. xi. 10. 2 Judg. ii. 9.

2 Archas. See Fetellus, pp. 12, note, 24, 52 ; Anon. (Pseudo-Be da)
vi., p. 51, etc. Arachas is now 'Ar^a/i, N.E. of Tripoli.

l8 A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Half a league to the eastward of the Castle of Archas is
Sin — a town built by Syneus, the son of Canaan, Aracheus's
brother, after the flood, not far from Arachas, as we are
told by the gloss on Genesis. Howbeit a Nestorian who
dwelt there told me, when I inquired of him, that the town
was named Synochim, and I got the same answer from a
Saracen at that place.

Beneath the Castle of Arachas and the town of Synochim
is a great plain, exceeding beauteous and fertile, reaching
as far as the Castle of Krach, which once^ belonged to the
Knights Hospitallers of St. John,^ and as far as Antaradus,^
now called Tortosa, being about eleven leagues long and
six leagues broad. This plain contains many villages, and
beauteous groves of olive-tree, fig-trees, and other fruit-trees
of divers sorts, besides much timber. Moreover, it greatly
abounds with streams and pasturelands ; wherefore the
Turcomans, and Midianites, and Bedouins dwell there in
tents with their wives and children, their flocks and their
camels. I have seen there an exceeding great herd of
camels, and I believe that there were several thousands of
camels there.

This plain is bounded on the east side by mountains of
no great height. They rise near Arachas, and extend as
far as Krach. In these mountains dwell a people called
Uannini, a savage and malicious race which hates Chris-
tians.

It is eight leagues from the towns of Arachas and Syno-
chim across the aforesaid plain to Antaradus, which is so
called because it stands over against Aradium.

Aradium"* is an island in the deep sea, about half a
league from the continent. Upon it down to my time

1 Till 1271.

2 Crac des Chevaliers is now el Hosn, N.E. of Tripoli.

3 Tortosa stands on the shore east of the island of Aradus.
* Aradium, ancient Arvad, is now the island er Rudd.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

there stood a fair city, which is mentioned by Ezekiel,
saying,^ ' The men of Arvad [Aradium] with thine army
were upon thy walls round about,' where the gloss says :
* Aradium is a city set in the sea, over against Antaradus,
near Tyre.' The truth is that it is five days' journey
distant from Tyre. This city was founded by Aradius, a
son of Canaan, after the flood.

Here note that Ham, the son of Noah, begat Canaan
after the flood. ' And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn,
and Heth, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the
Girgasite, and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.'^
By these were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
Four out of these eleven sons of Canaan, to wit, Sidon his
firstborn, who built Sidon, and Aracheus, who founded
Arachas, and Sineus, who founded Synochim, and Aradius,
who founded Aradium, as aforesaid — these four, I say,
remained in that land at the end of Lebanon, as hath been
told ; but the other seven, that is to say, Heth and the
Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgasite, the Hivite, the Arkite,
and the Hamathite, them didst Thou leave to themselves,
O Lord God of Lsrael, that they might learn to fight.
The monuments and sepulchres of the four first are shown
at this day one league before one comes to Antaradus, and
they are exceeding rich and of. wondrous size. I have
seen stones therein — for I measured the stone — four-and-
twenty feet long, and as wide and deep as the height of a
tall man, so that it is a marvel to behold them. How they
can have been raised up and used for building, altogether
passes man's understanding.

Beside Antaradus, half a league to the east, there are
some mountains ; but they are not very high, neither are
they inaccessible, as some say. This is the land of the

1 Ezek. xxvii. 8, 11. 2 Gen. x. 15-18.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Assassins, and is so called. Their rites and customs will
be described at greater length hereafter.

St. Peter preached for a long time at Antaradus when
he was on his way to Antioch, as we read in St. Clement's
' Itinerary.'^

Here Clement found his mother. Here also St. Peter^
built the first church in honour of the Blessed Virgin,
which church exists at this day. I have celebrated Mass
therein, for I abode there for six days.

Seven leagues from Antaradus is the Castle of Margat,^
belonging to the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John.^ It
stands above the city of Valania,^ one league from the sea,
and is strongly fortified and set upon an exceeding high
mountain. The Bishop's see,^ which was at Valania, is
now transferred to the castle because of the insults of the

1 The text has sicu/ in Alveario Clejnentis legitiir. In Poloner the
same passage occurs, but Itinerariu7n is substituted for the meaning-
less Alveariu7n. See Poloner, p. 34, in this series ; J. de Vitry, i. 44 ;
and Marino Sanuto, p. 5, in this series ; also p. 268 of Tobler's
' Descriptiones Terrae Sanctae,' Leipzig, 1874, and his note thereon.
The fullest account of St. Peter's doings at Antaradus will be found
in the 'Acta S. Petri,' attributed to St. Linus, in 'Acta Sanctorum/
June 29. Compare J. de Vitry, xliv.

- Anon., p. 27 ; City of Jerusalem, p. 48. De Joinville says: Je detnatide
au roy quHl me laissast aller e7t pelermage a Nostre-Dame-de-Tortouze,
la ou il avoit moult grafit pelerijiae^e pour ce que dest le premier autel
qui onques fust fait en Vonneur de la Mere-Dieu sur terre, et y fesoit
Nostre-Dame 7noult gra7it 77iiracles.

^ Margat, now el Merkeb, near the shore, stood on a promontory to
the south of Latakia.

^ It was given them by Bohemond, Prince of Antioch, in
1 1 86.

Valenie is now Ba7iids^ near Margat.
^' Vers la fin du xii^ siecle 7C7ie bourgade, oil vi7irent s'installer les
habitants ainsi que Veveque de Valenie, s'etait elevee sur cette esplanade^
li77iitee au sud par le reduit for77ie d^un 77tassif considerable de bati-
77ients et de Venorme tour, ouvrage capitate des defenses de la forteresse.
—C. Key.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

Saracens. This Bishop is suffragan to the Archbishop of
Apamea, as is the Bishop of Arachas.

The city of Valania and the river of the same name,
which runs past it, are the boundaries of the kingdom of
Jerusalem. Here Hkewise begins the principality of Antioch,
and here ends the county of Tripoli. This place is seven
days' journey distant from the city of Acre, and it is four
days' journey from it to Antioch. Now, albeit I have
travelled beyond this place and viewed the country, yet
I write nothing thereof, because I do not intend to write
about any land save the Holy Land.

Let what hath been said suffice for the first division.

HERE BEGINNETH THE SECOND DIVISION OF THE
HOLY LAND.

HI. The second division proceeds from Acre to the
northward, and the first place to which one comes going
due north from Acre is the castle which used to be called
Montfort} This once belonged to the Teutonic Hospital,
but now is utterly ruined.

Four leagues further in the same direction is the Castle^
of Toron, a very strong place built by the Lord of Tiberias
as a check to Tyre when Tyre was in the hands of the
Saracens. It is seven leagues distant from Tyre.

^ Montfort is KuPat el Kurei7i, east of Acre, buik by the Teutonic
Order in the thirteenth century.

- 'Anno 1 107 Hugo a Sancto Audomaro condidit Toronum.' —
Laurent. L^assiette de cette place a ete choisie au soimnet d'u?ie col line
arrondie^ d^ou lui est venu son appellation^ du vieux mot franqais
touron ou toron, signifiant eminence^ ou colline isolee. — C. Rey^ Monu-
ments de V architecture militaire des croises. It was built by Hugh de
St. Omer, Prince of Tiberias, about 1104, according to M. Rey. It
was twice taken by the enemy — first in 1187, by Saladin — then in
1 2 19 by SuUan Melek el Mo'adam, who destroyed it. It was rebuilt
in 1220. Toron is now Tibnin^ in Upper Galilee.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Four leagues further is an ancient city named Hazor/
wherein dwelt that potent King Jabin, who fought against
Joshua and Israel with the thirty-one Kings at the waters
of Merom. Of this place we are also told, in Josh, xi.,
that he burned the strong city of Hazor with fire. The
fame of this city is witnessed by its ruins even to this day.

About six leagues to the north thereof is the city of
Belinas,^ at the foot of Mount Lebanon. This, as we read
in the Book of Judges,^ was at the first called Laish. Now,
as it was far from Sidon, that is, about eleven leagues, and
its people had no allies (it was in the valley that lieth by
Bethrehob), the children of Dan took it, and called it
Leshem Dan,^ after the name of Dan their father. It is
often called simply Dan, after that passage in the Bible,
* that all Israel be gathered together, from Dan even
unto Beersheba for this city is the northern limit of the
Holy Land, even as Beersheba is on the south. Thus we
read in i Kings xix. 3, that * Elijah came to Beersheba,
which belonged to Judah,' and further on, that 'he him-
self v/ent a day's journey into the wilderness,' which no
doubt adjoins that city. It is now called Giblin.^ Now,
when Philip was Tetrarch of Ituraea and the district of
Trachonitis, he wished this city of Belinas, or Dan, to be
called after his own name Caesarea Philippi. The Greeks
call it Paneas. But now all these names are forgotten, and
it is commonly called Belinas.

Above this city and on either side of it are the sources
of two streams, Jor and Dan, at the foot of Mount

1 Hazor was shown near the source of the Leontes.

2 The ancient Caesarea Philippi, now Bania-^, which Burchard, as is
usual with mediaeval writers, confuses with Dan.

^ Judg. X. 4 Josh. xix. 47. ^ 2 Sam. xvii. 11.

" Beersheba was believed to be at Bezl Jibrin (Gibilin) in the twelfth
century. The true site was unknown.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

Lebanon. They meet before the gate of the city, and form
one river — the Jordan.

But mark, this is not the real source of the Jordan, for
Josephus tells us, and truly, that about one hundred and
twenty stadia to the south of that place there is a fountain
named Phiale,^ which is ever full and never overflows, but
runs underground to that place, and there comes forth and
is called Dan. This has often been proved by casting
straws into Phiale and finding them again at the source
of Dan. The Saracens do not call this fountain Phiale^^
but Medan, that is, the waters of Dan, as much as to say,
' This is the water of Dan,' for Me means ' water ' in Arabic,
and Dan is one of the aforesaid springs. St. Matthew
calls this place Magdala" (Magedan, Vulg.), and St. Mark
Dalmanutha. It is not far from the city of Sueta,^ near
the monument of the blessed Job, in the district of
Trachonitis. This will be described at greater length
hereafter.

The river Jordan having met before the gate of the
city of Belinas,^ after making long circuits from those two
sources, divides Trachonitis from Ituraea, and at length
falls into the Sea of Galilee between Capernaum and
Chorazin, four leagues from the city of Kedar, which is
on a hill above it.

Midway between Belinas and the Sea of Galilee it enters

1 Fetellus, p. 26 ; John of Wiirzburg, p. 66 ; Theoderich, p. 65, etc.

2 Dan is at 7>// el Kady. Phiale at Birket er Rdfn.

2 Matt. XV. 39 ; Mark viii. 10. It has no connection with Magdala
or Magadan, west of the sea of Galilee. The confusion is made by
connecting the words ]Me-dan and ]\Iage-dan.

* Sueta, in the twelfth century, was the Jaulan region called
Ard es Suweidah^ ' black land,' from its basaltic soil ; but Job's
monument (at Sheikh S'ad) lay further east, in Bashan, near
Trachonitis.

Belinas is Ituraea is here wrongly placed north of Jordan^

in Coele Syria.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

a valley where it forms a pool at the time when the snows
melt on Lebanon. This pool is called the waters of Merom
to this day. Here Joshua fought with Jabin the King
of Hazor and thirty other Kings, and he smote them and
chased them unto the waters of Misrephoth and unto
great Zidon, for about eight leagues.^ This water nearly
all dries up in summer time, and bushes and grass grow
there exceeding thick, wherein lurk lions and bears and
other wild beasts, and royal^ hunting is to be had there.
One half of this valley comes into this second division,
looking northwards, the other half comes into the following
third part. The third part, which is beyond this valley,
and extends all along the east bank of Jordan to Lebanon
on the left, and to Mount Hermon to the south-east, and
to the city of Bozra to the east on Mount Sanyr, which
adjoins Mount Hermon, this in the Book of Joshua is
called the Plain^ of Lebanon, or the district of Trachonitis,*
because, since that land is altogether lacking in running
waters, its inhabitants collect the rain-water in channels
and cisterns, and bring them from one place to another by
tracones^ or pipes, that they may water themselves and their
beasts.^

Here it seems necessary, since mention has been made
of the Mounts Lebanon, Hermon, and Sanyr, that I should
tell you about them more at length, that other matters may

1 Josh. xi. 8.

2 Poloner, p. 27 ; Marino Sanuto, p. 32 ; Abbot Daniel, p. 59.

^ Planicies. In A.V., Valley of Lebanon (Josh. xi. 17). He con-
fuses the Valley of Lebanon with Ituraea. Cf. Marino Sanuto, iii.,
part xiv., ch. iv.

^ Trachonitis was not the Plain of Lebanon, which lies north of
Hermon. Mount Sanyr (Shenir), which was a name of Hermon, is
here placed at the Hill of Bashan {Jebel ed Druz). Trachon meant
'basalt' (like the modern name Lejah\ and the translation is
fanciful.

Fabri, i. 464; Marino Sanuto, p. 28.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

be understood. You must know, then, that the mountains
beside the brook Arnon, which are between Ammon and
Moab and the Amorites, also Mount Gilead, which is in
the land of Og, King of Basan, Mount Sanyr and Mount
Hermon above Baal-gad and the Sea of Galilee, and Mount
Lebanon, are all one continuous mountain, called by divers
names in divers places, as one may any day see done in
the Alps which separate Germany from Lombardy. How-
beit Gilead^ is the highest of all these mountains, and seems
to be, as it were, the head of them all ; wherefore I think
that verse of Jeremiah (xxii. 6), ' Thou art Gilead unto me,
and the head of Lebanon,' is literally true. Mount Sanyr
adjoins Mount Gilead. It is also called Seir,^ because Esau
or Seir dwelt there, as shall be told hereafter, and it is
beyond the Sea of Galilee, and fell to the lot of the half-
tribe of Manasseh. At the same place it joins Mount
Hermon, which borders on the district of Trachonitis, and
extends even to Damascus, near to which it joins Lebanon,
between Belinas and Damascus. Lebanon itself is, to my
mind, higher where it passes the city of Belinas than any-
where else along the whole range that is called Lebanon.
At this place it is two leagues distant from Tyre, and can be
plainly seen from Tyre — indeed, I have myself seen it from
thence shining bright in the middle of the night. It is five
days' journey long, and for all that distance has its top
covered with snow. It comes nearer and nearer to the
sea-shore, so that while at the outset, I mean above Belinas,
it is twelve leagues away from the sea, at the end, that is,
near Arachas, it is only three leagues away from it. Those
who sail from Tyre to Antaradus by sea have it in sight all
the way, and beneath it Antilibanus ever comes nearer to
the sea. There are fertile valleys in both Lebanon and

^ Mount Gilead (3,000 feet) is not as high as Hermon (9,000 feet).
^ Seir is here confused with Sirion, a name for Hermon.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Antilibanus, which are well tilled, and abound in meadows,
vineyards, gardens, orchards, and, in short, all the good
things in the world. In them dwell many races, as afore-
said, such as Maronites, Armenians, Greeks, Nestorians,
Jacobites, and Georgians, all of whom are Christians, and
are, by their own account, subjects of the Church of
Rome.

HERE BEGINNETPI THE THHID DIVISION OF THE HOLY

LAND.

IV. The third division proceeds from Acre to the south-
east. Three leagues along this is the castle called Judin,^
on Mount Sharon, which once belonged to the Teutonic
Order, but now is ruined.

Three leagues further on is the Kings' Castle,^ in a valley
which once belonged to that same Order, and abounds
with all good things, and with fruits which even in that
land are rarely found elsewhere. It is now in the hands of
the Saracens.

Four leagues further towards the Waters of Merom is the
Valley^ of Zaanaim, where Heber the Kenite had pitched
his tent, not far from the city of Hazor. It was his wife,
by name Jael, who slew Sisera, the captain of the host of
the King of Hazor, by smiting a nail of the tent into his
temples, as we read in Judges.

Two leagues from that valley is Kabul,^ which the
Saracens call Zabul. This land is called Kabul, which
signifies displeasure, as we read in the third^ Book of
Kings.

^ Judin is now KuVat Jeddin, east of Acre.

- Chateau du Roi was at M^alia, near Judin. Marino Sanuto,
p. 24.

•' A.V. 'plain': Josh. xix. 33 ; Judg. iv. 11.

Kabul was wrongly placed (see Marino Sanuto) at Nebi Sebeldn,
in Upper Galilee, not at Kabiil^ south-east of Acre, the true site.
I Kings ix. 12, 13.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

Two leagues to the south of this stands the castle and
city of Sephet/ the fairest and strongest, to my mind, of
all the castles I have ever seen, set upon an exceeding lofty
rock. It used to belong to the Knights Templars, but was
betrayed and taken in shameful sort, to the injury of the
whole of Christendom ; for with it the Soldan holds all
Galilee, that is to say, the tribes of Zabulon, Naphtali,
Asshur, Issachar and Manasseh, and all the land, even to
Acre and Tyre and Sidon.

Four leagues to the north of this, not far from the Plain
of Zaanaim, is Cadesh Naphtali,'^ whence came Barak, the
son of Abinoam, who fought against Sisera on Mount
Tabor. This was a city of refuge in the tribe of Naphtali,
and abounds with all good things. At this place there are
shown at this day vast ruins and exceeding beauteous
tombs.

Two leagues beyond the castle of Sephet,^ as one goes
down the mountain to the eastward, a stone's-throw from
the Sea of Galilee, above the road leading to the east, is
the way up that mount, up which Christ Jesus so often
went, where^ Matthew tells us that He preached the
sermon, and where He satisfied five thousand men with
five loaves and two fishes. Hither He was wont to go up
and pray, sending the multitude away.^ He fled thither
when they would have made Him King. Here He taught
His disciples to pray. Here He passed the night in

1 ' Castrum Templariorum, vocabulo Sepham, adversus Turcarum
incursiones valde munitum.' — Theoderich, xliii.

2 The Plain of Zaanaim is placed at /Cedes, in Upper Galilee.

^ Saphet is Safed^ not Chateau Blanc {Safita), which lay north of
Tripoli.

^ Locus Mensa vocaius. Anton., ch. ix. ; Theoderich, p. 64 ; John
of Wiirzburg, p. 68 ; Fetellus, p. 28 ; Marino Sanuto, p. 13 ; Ludolph
von Suchem, p. 127.

The Mensa Christiwas shown on the hill north of Minyeh, and of
the Sea of Galilee, in the twelfth century.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

prayer. It was as He was coming down from this place
that the centurion begged Him to help his palsied servant.
Hither came unto Him the great multitude of sick and of
those that were possessed by devils. Here He touched the
leper and healed him. Here He stood in the fields with
His disciples. From this mount one can see all the Sea of
Gahlee, Ituraea, and the district of Trachonitis as far as
Lebanon, and also Sanyr and Hermon, the land of Zabulon
and Naphtali, even to Kedar/ and all Chinnereth^ even to
Dothan, and Bethulia,^ and many other places. This
mount is about two bow-shots long, and a stone's-throw or
more wide : it is grassy and pleasant, and suitable for
preaching from. Here is shown at this day the stone
whereon the Lord Jesus Christ sat when He preached, and
the places where the Apostles sat. (This place is called
by Christians the Table.*)

At the foot of this mountain near the sea, at some thirty
pace's distance, there is a spring of living water enclosed by
a wall, which spring they call a vein of the Nile,^ because it
breeds the fish coracinus,^ which is found nowhere else.
Josephlis calls this spring Capernaum, because the whole
plain between that spring and the Jordan, a distance of
two leagues, is called Capernaum.

Some twenty paces beyond that spring, on the Sea of
Galilee, is the place where Jesus stood on the shore after
His resurrection, and said to His seven disciples who were
fishing, ' Children, have ye anything to eat r When I was

^ Josh. xiii. 27. 2 Gennesaret.

Bethulia was shown at Safed in the twelfth century.
^ See Tobler's note to Theoderich, xlv. ; also in this series, John of
Wiirzburg, p. 68 ; Theoderich, p. 64; Marino Sanuto, 13 ; Anon., 54.
This fountain is now ^Aiji et Tabghah.
^' ' Coracinus est sparus chromis (petit castagneau, castagnotto).' —
Dii Cange. Castagneau, nom vulgaire d'un poisson tres commun
dans toute la Mdditerranee (type du genre chromis Cuvier). Littr^.
Marino .Sanuto, who copies I3urchard, calls it corconus (p. 11).

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

at this place on St. Augustine's Day,^ I saw three of the
Lord Jesus's footsteps imprinted on a stone ; but when
I came there again on the Feast of the Annunciation, the
Saracens had taken the stone away.

Ten paces thence is the place where the disciples came
out of the ship and saw the fire of coals, ^ and fish laid
thereon, and bread. (This place is called the Table by
Christians.)

One league to the eastward of this place is Capernaum,^
once a noble city, but now an exceeding mean one, scarce
containing seven houses of poor fishermen. Truly therein
is the word of the Lord Jesus fulfilled, ' And thou, Caper-
naum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be thrust
down to hell.'^

Two leagues from that place the river Jordan enters the
Sea of Galilee, on the further shore of which may still be
seen the ruins of the city of Chorazin,^ on the Sea of Galilee.

One league beyond that place, to wit, Chorazin, begins
the ascent of Mount Sanyr, called by some Seir, and the
entrance to Idumaea.

Three leagues further is Kedar,^ a noble city built in a
strong situation, on the eastern side of Mount Sanyr.
Through this city passes the road which, as aforesaid,
passes along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and leads to
the westward, as we are told in Tobit i. i. In Isaiah
this is called 'the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee
of the nations.''' It is called ' the way of the sea ' because
it leads all along the sea-shore. ' Beyond Jordan ' is added
because it leads beyond Jordan into the country called

1 August 28. 2 jQj^n xxi. 9.

^ Capernaum is placed, as in the fourth century, at Te/l Hum.

* Ptlatt. xi. 23 ; Luke x. 15.

^ Chorazin is wrongly placed east of Jordan.

" Kedar (see below) is placed at Gamala [el HosJi), east of the Sea
of Galilee. " Isa. ix. i.

30 ' A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Aram. It is called * Galilee of the nations ' because at
that place Galilee is bounded by the Jordan.

It is four leagues from this place where the Jordan flows
into the Sea of Galilee to Kadesh Naphtali. Halfway
between them is another half of the waters of Merom
aforesaid. Jordan passes through the midst of the valley
of the waters of Merom, and when it comes out thereof
turns its course first to the east, and then to the south,
and so falls into the Sea of Galilee.

Four leagues to the north of the mouth of the river
Jordan and the city of Chorazin is the city of Sueta,^
whence Bildad in Job was called the Shuhite. Near it,
on the east side, is Job's tomb.^

On the plains" near this city, on the side toward the city
of Kedar, Saracens of Aram, Mesopotamia, Hamath,
Syria, Moab, Ammon, and all parts of the East, are wont
to meet round about the fountain Phiale aforesaid^ and
hold a fair all summer time because of the pleasantness
of the place. They set up tents of divers colours, which
make a very pretty sight for the people of Kedar on the
hill to look at. These are what are called in Solomon's
Song* the tents of Kedar.

Four leagues to the east of the city of Chorazin is the
city of Kedar, standing on a lofty mound. Josephus calls
this the Camel, ^ because the mount whereon it stands is
shaped like a camel, being long at the beginning like the
head and neck of a camel, with a hump in the middle like
his back, and coming down at the end like his tail.

Here note that, as hath been already said, the whole
country near the Jordan, on the east bank thereof, even

1 Marino Sanuto, p. 9 ; Theoderich, ch. xlix.

2 See preceding note on Sueta and Job's tomb, p. 23.

•■' John of Wurzburg, ch. XXV. ; Theoderich, ch. xlv. ; Marino Sanuto,
p. II.

41.5. ^ Gamala, now E/ Hosn, east of the Sea of Galilee.

BY BIRCH A RD OF MOUs-'T SIOX.

to Mount Hermon and Bozra, is called the country of
Trachonitis or the Plain of Lebanon. The west bank of
Jordan is called Galilee of the Gentiles, or Ituraea, or
Cabul, or Decapolis, and the 'way of the sea' passes
through the midst thereof ; that is, leading from Acre
through the valley of the land of Asshur, now called St.
George's^ Valley, to the mountains of the district of
Trachonitis, beyond which is the land of Aram. Where-
fore the gloss on * There was a man in the land of Uz,
named Job/- tells us 'Aram, the father of the Syrians,
who founded Damascus and Syria, begat Uz, who founded
the country of Trachonitis. He reigned in the land
between Coele Syria and Palestine, which is called after
him the land of Uz. So the man dwelt in the land of
Uz, or the Uzzite country.

This country was ruled by Philip the Tetrarch, as was
also Ituraea, which is on this side of the Jordan country
to the westvrard, and extends as far as the mountains of
the Sidonians and Syrians and the people of Acre, v.hich
divide it from Phoenicia, both in this third and in the
preceding second. It is bounded on the north by Lebanon,
on the east by Jordan, on the south by the Sea of Galilee,
on the west by the mountains of Phoenicia.

HERE BEGINXETH THE EOURTH DIVISION.

V. The fourth division starts from Acre, and goes due
east, passing near the Castle of Sephet, which it leaves on
the left. From thence on the shore of the Sea of Ga'ilee
it passes before the city of Capernaum, before the place

^ St. George {el Khudr) is at el B^aneh^'va the broad valley, east of
Acre, leading to the Plain of Rameh.
- Job i. I.

^ The land of Uz was shown in Bashan from the fourth century, but
in the Old Testament it lies in Edom.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

where the Lord called Matthew from the receipt of custom.
Matthew's house, and the place where he used to sit, may
be seen there at this day on the king's highway. Then
the road goes up into the mountains of Hermon on the
further side of Jordan.

In this division there are the following cities :
The first one, five leagues distant from Acre, is the
village called Sangeor/ where that saint is believed to
have been born.^ This stands in an exceeding fat, fertile,
and beauteous valley among hills. This lovely valley
reaches as far as the Sea of Galilee. It used to belong to
the tribe of Asher, reaching even unto Sephet, about ten
leagues. The saying of Gen. xlix. is literally true of it
because of its beauty, ' Out of Asher his bread shall be
fat, and he shall yield royal dainties,' a saying which hath
been fulfilled in the lot of this tribe.

Four leagues thence, to the southward, but somewhat to
the east thereof, is the village of Naason,'^ of the tribe of
Naphtali, in a valley. We read of this place in the Book
of Tobit.4

Three leagues further to the south is Dothan,^ where
Joseph found his brethren. It stands at the foot of
Mount Bethulia, one league distant from it, and is an
exceeding fair town, abounding in vines, olives, and figs,
and in rich pastures.

At this place in the field is still shown the pit^ into

^ San Geor lay at e/ BaJiieh, in the Valley of St. George.

'-^ See Laurent's note on Willibrand of Oldenburg, II. 3, i, p. 25.

3 Naason seems confused with Nasor (a corrupt reading for Hazor),
near Kadesh Naphtali.

*• Tob. i. 2, in the Vulgate ; A.V., Thisbe. See Smith's 'Dictionary
of the Bible,' art. ' Thisbe.'

^ Dothan or Dothaim was shown in the twelfth century at Khan
Jubb Yuse/ (the inn of Joseph's pit), by Minieh, on the north shore of
the Sea of Galilee. The true site {Tell Doihdn) was known in the
fourth century. " Cisterna.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

which Joseph was put by his brethren. I have seen it
there by the side of the road which leads from Gilead,
and at Bethsaida joins the road that leads from Syria into
Egypt. It goes up from Dothan to near Mount Bethulia,
then crosses the Plain of Esdraelon, passes by Mount
Tabor on the left hand across the plain of Megiddo, goes
up Mount Ephraim, enters Ramathaini Zophim,^ and
thence by Gaza to Egypt. It was along this road that
the Ishmaelites came who bought Joseph.

We read in the second Book of Kings about this town
(Dothan), that the Syrians compassed about Elisha therein,
and he led them thence to the midst of Samaria, which is
about one day's journey distant.

Note that Dothan is not only the (name of the) town,
but also of the country called after the town, which has
belonged to it from of old, in a flat district, bounded on
either side by low hills, watered by springs, and therefore
good pasture, fit for feeding cattle.

Two leagues to the east of Naason, and about three to
the north of Dothan, is the city of Naphtali,^ from whence
came Tobias, standing in a strong place ; for on the west
side it has an exceeding lofty mountain up which no man
can climb, save on one little space on the east side. This
city was, I think, called Jotapata at the time of the
extirpation of the Jews, according to Josephus. In it
Josephus himself was besieged and taken prisoner by the
Romans, as he himself tells us. At this day it is called
Syrim,^and is little more than a league away from Sephet.

Two leagues from Naphtali, at a corner of the Sea of
Galilee, where it begins to curve from the north towards

^ Ramathaim Zophim was placed at Rainleh in the twelfth century.
2 Naphtali is Kadesh Naphtali, now Kedes. It was not Jotapata
{Jefdt), south-west of Safed.

^ Syrim is probably an error for Meirim^ near Safed.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

the south, extends Bethsaida/ the city of Andrew and
Peter and Philip. At this day it has scarce seven houses,
which stand by the side of the road from Syria to Egypt.
In ancient times it had a watercourse leading from the
river, which Josephus calls the little Jordan,^ which runs
into the Sea of Galilee halfway between it and Capernaum.
Traces of this may be seen to this day.

Two leagues further to the south is Magdalum,^ the castle
of Mary Magdalen, whose house I have seen still standing
there, and have been inside it. It stands by the sea-shore,
about three leagues to the south-east of Bethulia. On its
western and northern sides it has a great grassy plain.

Note that this fourth division has no more towns on this
side of the Sea of Galilee ; but on its other shore there are
many cities and castles that belong to this division, in the
land of the Gerasenes, which is directly over against this.

Herein there are many cities ; for example, Gerasa,
Gadara, Pella, Sueta, the city of Bildad the Shuhite,
Teman, from which came Eliphaz the Temanite, and
many others.

Now, the town of Gerasa^ stands on the shore of the Sea
of Galilee, at the foot of Mount Seir, nearly over against
Tiberias, but a little to the north of it. This used to
belong to the half-tribe of Manasseh, whose lot fell beyond
Jordan.

Note that this land beyond the Sea of Galilee is very
mountainous, as it seems to me ; but I have never been in
it. It was part of the kingdom of the King of Bashan.
Part of it is called Mount Seir, because Esau dwelt there,

^ Bethsaida was shown near Minieh at Sheikh Seiydd, a small
shrine on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.

2 Little Jordan is here IVddy el Hamdm^ west of Minieh.

- Magdalum is Mej'del, west of the Sea of Galilee.

* Gerasa is placed probably at Khersa, east of the Sea of Galilee.
The true site (Jerdsh) in Gilead was lost.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

as I shall shortly tell you. In another place it was called
Mount Sanyr/ because he was there, and it was also called
Mount Hermon, because he was there also. Thus divers
places and mountains in this land were called by divers
names; yet the whole of it belonged to the half-tribe of
Manasseh. But the half-tribe never possessed it ; for the
children of Esau dwell in parts thereof to this day. They
are commonly called Saracens, because they do not differ
from them either in language or customs, unless, perhaps, in
their way of wearing their hair and their clothes.

But, nevertheless, you must know that there is another
Mount Seir, or Edom, over against the wilderness of the
Red Sea, whereof we read in Gen. xiv., how Chedorlao-
mer and other kings with him overthrew the Horites in
their Mount Seir.^ It was not then called Mount Seir,
because Esau, who was called Seir, and after whom the
mountain was named, was not yet born ; so we must believe
it to have been so called by anticipation. So also in
Deut. ii.: ' Ye are to pass through the coast of your
brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir, and
they shall be afraid of you.'^ This was first said to the
children of Israel when they came out of Egypt, when they
were in Kadesh Barnea, and were about to come to Mount
Seir, which is near Kadesh Barnea, where they then were.
But it is certain that the children of Israel never came up
to the boundary of this Mount Seir, which is beyond the
Sea of Galilee, for this Mount Seir adjoins Damascus,
whither they never reached.

The other Mount Seir of which we read adjoins the
wilderness of Paran,* round about which the children of
Israel wandered for many days, because the Lord forbade

1 Deut. iii. 8, 9.
3 Deut. ii. 4.

2 Gen. xiv. 6 ; Deut. ii, 12.
* Gen. xiv. 6 : Deut. ii. i.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

them to enter therein. We also read of this Mount Seir in
Deut. ii.: ' They dwelt in Mount Seir beforetime.'^

On this Mount Seir, which is near the Sea of Galilee and
Mount Gilead, Esau was dwelling at the time when Jacob
came back from Mesopotamia of Syria. We read in
Gen. xxxvi. that Esau, who doubtless was dwelling with
his father in Beersheba, took all that he had and went into
another country — this, no doubt ; and he separated himself
from his brother. Now, he met Jacob on his return from
Mesopotamia at the ford of the brook Jabbok, which ad-
joins that land to the southward. And in Gen. xxxii. 31,
we read that 'as Jacob passed over Peniel the sun rose
upon him'; and further on, 'Jacob lifted up his eyes
and looked, and, behold, Esau came,' etc. This place
Peniel is shown at this day by that same name, not far from
Succoth, in the east country beyond Jordan, whither we
read that Jacob straightway afterwards came. This same
place is at the foot of Mount Seir which adjoins the Sea of
Galilee ; for that Mount Seir wherein the Horites dwelt of
old, in whose place the children of Esau now dwell, is many
days' journey distant from this place, and Esau could not
have come thence of a sudden to see his brother, because it
is far away beyond the Dead Sea, about five days' journey
off. These different tribes of the children of Esau, and
the different places wherein they dwell, arise, I think, from
Esau's having many wives, so that the children that he had
by (Mahalath)2 Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebajoth,
dwelt in Mount Seir, which is near the wilderness of Paran,
in the same country wherein dwelt his father-in-law Ishmael,
of whom we read in Gen. xxi. that he became an archer,

^ Deut. ii. 12, but the text runs, '• in monte Seyr oliin habitabant
(Jilii Israel pro eis)' The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime ; but
the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them
from before them, and dwelt in their stead, etc. — A.V.

^ Gen. xxviii. 9.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SI ON.

and dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, where we are told
that he and his descendants abode. Now Esau married
other wives besides these his first wives, among whom was
Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon
the Hivite. This Hivite was a son of Canaan, and doubt-
less dwelt in the country of Scythopolis in Galilee, near
the mountains of Gilboa, not far from the Sea of Galilee.
Very near this place is another Mount Seir, where Esau
dwelt at the time when Jacob was coming back from Meso-
potamia. Thus he might easily meet his brother there, as
the text seems to hint ; for we read in Gen. xxxii. that,
when he departed from Laban, he went on his way and met
the angels of God, and he said, ' This is God's host,'^ and he
called the name of that place Mahanaim — that is to say,
'camps' (the place is at this day at the foot of Mount
Gilead, in the tribe of Gad) — and from thence sent mes-
sengers to his brother, who returned back thither to him. So
we read further that he set apart from his flocks a present
for Esau, his brother, and sent it by the hands of his
messengers. And we read : ' So went the present over
before him, and himself lodged that night in the camp '
(that is, in Mahanaim); ' and he rose up that night, passed
oyer the ford Jabbok ' (which is still shown there), * and
there wrestled a man with him,' etc. And further, ' Jacob
called the name of that place Peniel.' This place stands
at this day on the banks of the brook Jabbok, also in the
tribe of Gad. * And as he passed over Peniel the sun
rose upon him,' and then " Jacob lifted up his eyes, and saw
Esau coming,' etc. Behold, we know the places where Esau
came to him, and they are all near this Mount Seir, which
is beyond the Sea of Galilee.

There is also a third Mount Seir, in the country of
Ashdod and Ascalon, which fell to the lot of the tribe of
^ Gen. xxxii. i, 2. The Vulgate reads cas^ra, the A.V. /losis.

38 A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Judah, when the land was divided ; but why it was so called
I do not remember to have read. But the inhabitants
thereof were called Idumaeans, even as the other posterity
of Esau were called Idumaeans from Edom. Wherefore
Antipater and his son, Herod of Ascalon, were called
Idumaeans.

So much for this subject.

This mountain ends in the lot of the tribe of Gad in
Mount Gilead, over against the place where the river
Jordan flows out of the Sea of Galilee, not far from the
mountains of Gilboa, near the city of Bethshan. Thence
going down the east bank of Jordan is the country of two
tribes and a half-tribe, reaching down to the pastureland
of Moab at the foot of Mount Abarim in Shittim, over
against Jericho. Going on further to the south along the
si.me bank of Jordan is the land of Moab, reaching even to
Petra in the wilderness, which is now called Krach.^ After
this comes a part of the land of Ammon, for all the length
of the Dead Sea, and it encompasses its southern end even
unto Mount Seir, which adjoins the wilderness of Paran
near Kadesh Barnea, having on the side the wilderness of
Sinai and the Red Sea.

HERE BEGINNETH THE SECOND DIVISION OF THE
EASTERN QUARTER.

VI. In the second division of the eastern quarter starting
from Acre to the south-east, four leagues from Acre one
comes to Cana of Galilee, where the Lord turned water
into wine. The place is shown at this day where the six
water-pots stood, and the dining-room wherein the tables
were.

^ ' Urbem, cui nomen pristinum Petra Deserti, modernum vero
Crach,' says William of Tyre, book xxii., ch. xxviii. Bongars,
p. 1039. Compare Marino Sanuto, p. 3, note, also note on p. 7 of this
work.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

Now, these places, like almost all the other places wherein
the Lord wrought any work, are underground, and one
goes down to them by many steps into a crypt. So it is
in the place of the Annunciation, the Nativity, in this Cana
of Galilee, and in many other places which are shown
underground. The only reason that I can find for this
is that owing to the frequent destruction of the churches
built over these places, the ruins raised the soil above them,
and then, after they had been levelled carelessly, other
buildings were built upon them. Christians therefore who
were zealous to visit these places, and wished to get to the
very spot where the thing was done, had to clear out the
places and make steps leading down to them. Wherefore
almost all these places seem to be in crypts. To the north
Cana of Galilee has a tall round mountain, on whose slope
it stands. At its foot, on the south side, it has a very fair
plain, which Josephus calls Carmelion ;^ it reaches as far
as Sephora, and is exceeding fertile and pleasant.

About two leagues to the south of Cana of Galilee, on
the road from Sephora to Tiberias, is a village named
Ruma, wherein the prophet Jonah is said to have been
buried. This village stands beneath the mountain which
comes from Nazareth, and bounds the aforesaid Valley of
Carmelion on the south side.

About a league and a half to the east of Ruma^ there is
a large village, once, it seems, called Abel-mehola, whereof
we read in Judith'^ that Holofernes, when going against

^ Carmelion. In the LXX. 6poc to KapfirjXiov stands for Mount
Carmel. Sephora is Sepphoris {SeffiirieJi). The Valley of Carmelion
(Carmel) seems to be Wady el Melek, running towards Carmel from
Sepphoris.

- Ruma, according to Marino Sanuto, was Gath-Hepher, the home
of Jonah. The ruin Rfuneh, in the Buttauf plain, may here be in-
tended, north of el Mesh-hed where Jonah's tomb is still shown.

^ Judith vii. 3 ; i Kings iv. 12 ; i Kings xix. i6.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Bethulia, came thither. And so he must have done, for by-
reason of the difficulties of these places there could be no
other road thither. This village is believed to have been
the birthplace of the prophet Elisha, as we read in the first
Book of Kings. It stands in the country which is called
Dothan, about half a league to the west of that village. In
it there are many marble columns and great ruins, all of
which show that it was once a glorious city. It stands on
a lofty and strong place.

One long league from Abel-mehola is Mount Bethulia,
where Judith slew Holofernes. This mount can be seen
throughout almost all Galilee, and is exceeding fair and
fortified. There are still many houses thereon, and many
ruins. At the end of this mount a castle has been built
to protect the mount. There are the traces of the camp of
Holofernes to this day in the field near Dothan, and the
valley wherein Judith washed herself, and which she
compassed on her way back to Bethulia, I examined this
as diligently as I could, for I abode in Dothan for one
night.

Two long leagues south-east of Bethulia, on the shore of
the Sea of Galilee, is the glorious city Tiberias of Galilee,
after which the Sea of Galilee is sometimes named. This
was in ancient times called Gennesareth, and after it the
sea was called the Sea of Gennesareth ; but in process of
time it was restored by Herod, the Tetrarch of Galilee, and
named Tiberias in honour of Tiberius Caesar. It is
exceeding long, and stands lengthwise along the sea-shore.
At its southern end there are medicinal baths and many
ruins. Great palm-trees grow there, and there are vine-
yards and oliveyards, and the soil is exceeding fertile.

Here note that the country called Decapolis ends at this
city of Tiberias. The Lord James of Vitry, Patriarch of
Jerusalem and Legate of the See of Rome, says in the book

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

which he wrote about the conquest of this land as follows :
' The boundaries or ends of the country of Decapolis are
the sea on the east, and Great Sidon on the west.' This is
the width thereof. Its length extends from the city of
Tiberias and all the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee
even to Damascus. It is called Decapolis from the ten
chief cities therein, which are Tiberias, Sephet,^ Kadesh-
Naphtali, Hazor, Caesarea Philippi, Capernaum (which
Josephus calls Julia), ^ lotapata, Bethsaida, Chorazin, and
Bethshan, which was also called Scythopolis. But there
are therein many other cities beside these.

Here, however, note that nevertheless this land is called
by divers names to this day. As aforesaid, it is called
sometimes Ituraea, sometimes Trachonitis, sometimes the
Plain of Lebanon, sometimes the Land of Roob,^ sometimes
Cabul, sometimes Galilee of the nations, sometimes Upper
Galilee ; and it is one and the same country, albeit called by
divers names, and is not much more than a day's journey
in length or in breadth, neither do I think that it is more
than a very little longer than it is broad. But beyond the
territory of Sidon and the mountains between us and the
Saracens, who are called Bacharites and dwell about the
Dog's Pass, lies Ituraea* proper, in the valley called Bakar,^
and because lengthways it reaches up to the foot of Mount
Lebanon it is called the Forest of Lebanon.

Coming back from Tiberias, six leagues to the west, two
leagues to the south of Cana of Galilee, is Sephora, a very
fair town with a castle above it. Here Joachim, the Blessed

1 Safed, see Tob. i. 2 (in Vulgate).

2 Josephus, B. I. iii. 9, § 7, says that the Jordan enters the Lake of
Gennesareth at the city Julias.

Bethrehob, Judges xviii. 28 ; Num. xiii. 21.
* Ituraea is wrongly placed in the Bukd!ah valley (Coele Syria),
east of Lebanon.

Nasir-i-Khusrau, 13; Fetellus, 24; Ludolph, 135; Theoderich,
71 ; J. de Vitry, ch. xlvii.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Virgin's father, is said to have been born. It stands in the
tribe of Asshur, near the Valley of Carmelion.^

Two leagues to the south of Sephora, but rather to the
eastward, is Nazareth, that blessed city of Galilee wherein
the branch of the stem of Jesse,- after her angelic salu-
tation by the Holy Spirit, conceived in her womb the
blessed Jesus Christ. It is seven leagues from Acre. In
it the place still remains where the angel Gabriel brought
the tidings of salvation to the Blessed Virgin, saying, ' Hail,
thou that art full of grace, the Lord is with thee : blessed
art thou among women.' I have said many Masses at that
place, and even on the day itself — I mean the day of the
holy Annunciation, when the Lord became flesh. May
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ be blessed for ever and
ever !

There are three altars in the chapel, which is hewn out
of the living rock, even as is the place of the Nativity, the
Passion, and the Resurrection, and of old a great part of
Nazareth was hewn out of the rock, as may be seen at this
day. To this day there stands there the synagogue, now
made into a church, wherein as Jesus was teaching the
Book of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him, and He
read, ' The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the
Lord hath anointed Me,' etc. Moreover, at the end of the
city, in St. Gabriel's Church, there is a well which is
venerated by the inhabitants, from which it is said the boy
Jesus often drew water when serving His mother.

About four bow-shots to the south of the city is the
place called the Lord's Leap,^ where they would have
cast Jesus down, but He passed out of their hands, and
suddenly, as is shown there, was seen on the side of a

* See note, p. 39.
'•^ Isa- xi. I.

•"' The Mount of Precipitation was shown from the twelfth century
as at present, at the cliff south of Nazareth.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

mountain a bow-shot away. There one may see on the
rock T^^^^pQ print of His features and clothes. From that
mount one can see Mount Tabor, and the little hill of
Hermon, and Hermon/ the village of Endor, Nain, Jezreel,
and almost all across the Plain of Esdraelon.

leagues from Nazareth, to the east, is Mount Tabor,
where h\Q Lord was transfigured, and there to this day are
shown the ruins of the three tabernacles, or cloisters, which
were built according to Peter's wish. Moreover, there are
exceeding great ruins- of palaces, towers, and regular
buildings, now lurking-places for lions and other wild beasts.
There is royal hunting to be had here.^ The mount is
hard to climb, and is exceeding high, and suitable for
building a castle on.

At its foot, on the south side, over against the village of
Endor, beside the road that leads from Syria to Egypt, is
the place where Melchisedek is said to have met Abraham
as he came from the battle with the four kings near
Damascus. At its foot, on the west side, over against
Nazareth, a chapel is built in the place where the Lord
when He came down from the mount said to His disciples,
' Tell no man what ye have seen.'^ From its foot on the
east runs the brook Kishon, where Barak fought against
Sisera and overthrew him and put him to flight.

This brook Kishon is formed by the rain-water from
Mounts Tabor and Hermon, runs down toward the Sea of
Galilee, and enters it near the Castle of Belvoir,^ which
used to belong to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John.

1 Little Hermon is /ede/ Nebi Dhahy, south of Tabor. Endor
{Anciur) and Nain {Nem) are on its north slope.

- The fortress on Mount Tabor was ruined 1263.

2 Poloner, p. 26 ; Marino Sanuto, p. 26 ; Abbot Daniel, Ixxv.
* Matt. xvii. 9.

Belvoir {Kaukab el Hawa) is east of Tabor ; but the Kishon flows
west only from Tabor.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

A league to the east of Mount Tabor is the village of
Endor, which stands on the little hill of Hermonium (szc).
This Hermonium is not a mount of itself, but is, as it were, a
swelling of the ground coming down from Mount Hermon
toward Mount Tabor, and joining itself to it. Upon it
stands the village of Endor, whereof we read in the psalm,^
* who perished at Endor.' In this village dwelt the woman
who had a familiar spirit, who at the instance of Saul raised
up Samuel, as we read in the first Book of Samuel.
Samuel lies buried in Ramathaim Zophim, about two days'
journey from that place.

Two leagues from Nazareth, and more than one league
south of Mount Tabor, is the little hill of Hermon, on whose
north side is the city of Nain, before whose gate the Lord
raised the widow's son from the dead.

This mount reaches lengthwise about four leagues over
against the Sea of Galilee, and ends not far from the place
where the river Jordan flows out of the Sea of Galilee.

HERE BEGI^^NETH THE THIRD DIVISION OF THE
EASTERN QUARTER.

VII. In the third division of the eastern quarter, which
proceeds southward, the first place one comes to after
leaving Acre is the first part of Mount Carmel, four leagues
distant from Acre. Here is the place where Elijah the
prophet slew the priests of Baal, at the brook Kishon, as
we read in i Kings xviii. 40. A little way further the
brook Kishon runs into the Mediterranean Sea, one league
away from the city of Haifa, but about three from the city
of Acre.

With regard to this brook Kishon, note that, albeit as a
matter of fact it seems to be one and is spoken of as one,

^ Psa. Ixxxiii. 1 1.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

yet it must be taken in a double sense, because it runs two
ways. One part of it runs eastward into the Sea of Galilee,
and another runs westward into the Mediterranean Sea.
This double course arises from Mounts Tabor and Hermon
being at no great distance from one another, and each
sending out a rising ground toward the other, so that each
mount seems joined to the other at its foot. This rising
ground is highest on the side of Mount Hermon, and is
called Hermonium, whereof mention has already been
made, whereon stands the village of Endor. Now, this
rising ground hinders the rain-water which falls on either
mount running down all in the same direction, but one
part runs eastward and enters the Sea of Galilee not far
from the city of Bethshan. It was at this brook Kishon
that Barak fought with Sisera, as we read in Judg. v.
The other part runs down to the west into the Mediterranean
Sea. It was at this brook Kishon that Elijah slew the
priests of Baal, as we read in i Kings xviii. 40. And this
stream that runs westward is fed by many waters from
Mount Ephraim and the neighbourhood of Samaria, and
from all the Plain of Esdraelon and Mount Cain and
Megiddo.

Three leagues south of the place where the priests of
Baal were slain is the castle on Mount Cain, called Caymon,^
at the very end of Mount Carmel, the place where Lamech
slew Cain with an arrow, as is told in Gen. iv. 23. ' I have
slain a man to my wounding.'

Three leagues south of Mount Cain is Megiddo,- which at

this day is called Suburbe. Here died Ahaziah, King of

Judah, whom Jehu, King of Israel, wounded with an arrow

near Jezreel, at the going up to Gur,-^ what time he slew

^ Caymon, now Te/l Keiinun^ east of Carmel, is the ancient
Jokneam.

^ Megiddo is placed at Ezbuba, near Taanach.
■' 2 Kings ix.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Joram, King of Israel, with an arrow and cast him in the
portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. At this same
Megiddo Josiah, King of Judah, was slain by Pharaoh,
King of Egypt, when he was marching to the river
Euphrates.

Here note that the Field of Megiddo, and Esdraelon, and
the Plain of Galilee are one and the same thing, but all
those names have passed away, and it is now com.monly
called the Plain of Faba, after the castle named Faba,^ which
stands three bow-shots from the city of Aphek. But in
very truth this is the Plain of Galilee, bounded on the east
by the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan, on the south by
Mount Ephraim and Samaria, on the west partly by Mount
Ephraim, and partly by Mount Carmel, on the north by the
mountains of Phoenicia and Lebanon. This plain seems
to be about ten leagues long, and six or more wide ; in
some parts it is exceeding fertile in corn, oil, and wine, and
abounds in all the good things in the world, so that I do
not think that I have ever seen better land, if only our
demerits and sins did not prevent its being cultivated by
Christians.

More than two leagues east of Mount Cain is the village
of Mesrha f it stands on the brook Kishon, one league from
the foot of Mount Hermon.

A league to the south of Mosrha is the castle called
Faba. On its western side, three bow-shots away, on the
right-hand side of the road to Jezreel, are shown the ruins
of the city of Aphek, where the Syrians fought against Ahab,
King of Israel, what time they said, 'Their gods are gods
of the hills ... let us fight against them in the plain.

A league to the east of Aphek, on the left-hand side of

1 Castellum Fabae ('bean castle') was at FUleh ('the bean ').

2 Mesrha is the ruin el Mezra^h, near Fuleh.
2 I Kings XX. 23.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION. 47

the road to Jezreel, on the south side of Mount Hermon,
one is shown the city of Shunem, whither Elisha often
went when on his way from Carmel to Gilgal or the
Jordan ; for this was the less hilly road for him when he
would go to Jericho, where he abode with the sons of the
prophets, from Carmel, that is to say, through Shunem to
Bethshan, and thence along the Plain of Jordan to Gilgal.
Wherefore we read in 2 Kings iv. 8 how, whenever he
went to Jordan, he must needs pass by Shunem,^ and there-
fore used to stay with the woman of Shunem. It was from
this same city that this same woman came to him when
her son died, to Carmel, which is four leagues distant from
that place, and Elisha raised her son from the dead. Here
the Philistines pitched their camp when Saul came to
Gilboa. From this city of Shunem came Abishag, the
Shunamite, who cherished old King David and lay in his
bosom.

Two leagues to the east of Shunem, but rather to the
south of east, is the city of Bethshan, standing between
Mount Gilboa and the Jordan, but half a league away from
the Jordan. On its walls the Philistines hung the corpses
of Saul and his sons after they had slain them on Mount
Gilboa. Once it was called Scythopolis, as Josephus tells
us, but now all men call it Bethshan. ^ It is an exceeding
luxurious place.

Above it, on the western side, is Mount Gilboa, which
reaches as far as Jezreel, two leagues to the west.

Two leagues to the west of Bethshan there springs a
great fountain, two leagues above Bethshan. This is the
* fountain which is in Jezreel spoken of in i Sam. xxix. i,

^ Shunem is now Sulein^ east of Fuleh.
^ Bethsan is Bethshan, now Beisdii.

^ The Fountain of Jezreel is placed at 'Ain Jaliid^ below Jezreel to
the east.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

where the Philistines pitched their camp when they were at
Gilboa, between that fountain and Bethshan.

A little way, about two bow-shots, from that fountain is
the city of Jezreel.^ It stands on a somewhat high spot,
and was once one of the royal cities of Israel, but at this
day it scarce has thirty houses. It is now called Zaraein,^
and stands at the foot of Mount Gilboa, on the west side
thereof Before its gate is still shown the field of Naboth
the Jezreelite. It is two short leagues distant from the city
of Shunem, which stands to the north of it, on the south side
of Mount Hermon.

These two mountains — I mean Mount Hermon and
Mount Gilboa — are so placed that Mount Gilboa is to the
south and Hermon to the north, with a space of two short
leagues between them. They extend lengthways from
east to west, and at the east both end at the Jordan. They
are two leagues or more long.

Upon the plain between them many great battles have
been fought. Here Gideon fought against Midian, Saul
fought against the Philistines, and Ahab fought against
the Syrians. In modern times also the Tartars fought the
Saracens there.

[But note regarding this Mount Hermon that there is yet
another mount of that name beyond Trachonitis, near
Mount Sanyr, which is far greater and higher than this
one ; and in many places it is that one, not this one, whereof
the Scriptures make mention.]

In the plain between these two mountains begins the
valley" which is called * the illustrious valley,'^ because of its

1 Jezreel {Zer^in) was called Gerinum and Gerayn in the twelfth
century. Parvum Gerinum was Jem7i.

This is Laurent's emendation of the valley Zaracin. Cf. Will.
Tyr, p. 1037, Bongars.

2 See Marino Sanuto, p. 30, note. J. de Vitry, p. 1074, Bongars.

4 ' The illustrious valley ' is the Vulgate rendering for Moreh

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SIGN.

beauty and fertility. It reaches from that place all the way
down Jordan to the Dead Sea. Before the Lord destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah it was this illustrious valley that * was
well watered everywhere, even as the garden of the Lord,
like the land of Egypt,' as we read in Gen. xiii. lo.

From Jezreel there is a fine view over all Galilee, even to
Carmel and the mountains of Phoenicia, of Mount Tabor
and Mount Gilead and the parts beyond Jordan, and of all
Mount Ephraim, even to Carmel.

The road from Mount Gilead to Jezreel goes along the
south side of Mount Gilboa on the level from Jordan, past
Aenon and Salim,^ where John baptized. It was along
this road also that Jehu came from Ramoth Gilead, when
the watchman said, * I see a company,^- etc. It is not true,
as some say, that neither dew nor rain falls upon the moun-
tains of Gilboa, because when I was there on St. Martin's
Day^ the rain fell upon me till I was wet to the skin ;
moreover, the valley was filled with water by that rain.*
But it is true that in some places they are stony and dry
and barren, like the other mountains of Israel.

Four leagues to the south of Jezreel is Engannim,^ a
town which once was walled, but whose walls have fallen
down. It stands at the foot of Mount Ephraim. At this
town Galilee ends and Samaria begins. Engannim is
about seven leagues to the west of Jordan.

This country is bounded on the south by the land of
Tappuah,^ which has exceeding lofty mountains.''

(Gen. xii. 6). It is here applied to the Valley of Jezreel, because the
hill Moreh (Judg. vii. i) was by that valley.

^ St. John iii. 23. ^ 2 Kings ix. 17. ^ November 11.

* Cf. Anon., p. 34 ; Thietmar, ch. ii. 7.

^ Engannim is /entn — Little Gerayn in the twelfth century.

^ The land Tamnah, Tampne, or Tappuah, often noticed, was the
region east of Mount Ephraim named from Taininu7i^ north-east of
Shechem. Josh. xii. 17 ; xv. 34 ; xvi. 8 ; xvii. 7, 8.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Four leagues south of Engannim is the city of Sebaste,
which once was called Samaria, when it was the capital of
the kingdom of the ten tribes, which was called Israel.
Now its sins have caused it to have not so much as one
house, but there are two churches built in honour of St.
John the Baptist. Howbeit, the Saracens have made one
of these into a mosque, namely, that which was the chief
one and was once the Bishop's cathedral ; more especially
have they so done with the sepulchre of the same St. John
the Baptist, which was all of marble, like the Lord's
sepulchre, where the prophet lay buried between Elisha
and Obadiah. This church stands on the side of the moun-
tain, as one goes down it. The Saracens pay great honour
to St. John next to Christ and the Blessed Virgin, and
think a great deal of him. They truly declare that Christ
is the Word of God, but they say that He is not God.
They say that the Blessed Virgin conceived of the Holy
Ghost, bore Him as a virgin, and remained a virgin. They
say that John was a great and exceeding holy prophet.
They say that Mahomet was God's messenger, and was
sent by Him to themselves alone. This I have read in the
Alcoran, which is the book of their law. The other church
stands on the brow of the hill, where the King's palace
once stood. Therein dwell Greek monks. Christians, who
received me kindly and gave me food. In that church
these same Greeks show the place where they say that John
was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod ; which I say is a
vain thing, because the Chronicle,^ and Josephus, and the
legends of the saints, and the writer of the Histories, and
the ' Ecclesiastical History,' all agree in saying that he was

^ The passage quoted by Burchardus occurs in the ' Historia
Scolastica' of Petrus Comestor, Strasburg, 1503. On page D 2 we
read : ' Chronica et xi. liber historie ecclesiastice tradunt loannem in
Castello Arabic trans lordanem, dicto Macheranta, vinctum et
truncntum.'

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

beheaded at Macherunta, which is now called Haylori;
beyond Jordan. Furthermore, the Herod who beheaded
John was Tetrarch of Galilee and of the country beyond
the river, which is the land of Gilead, or of the two tribes,
and he had no authority in Samaria, which was in Pilate's
jurisdiction, even as was Jerusalem or Judaea ; wherefore
he could neither imprison John nor behead him, because he
had no power there. But after he had been beheaded, in
Macherunta as aforesaid, his body was buried in Samaria by
his disciples between the aforesaid prophets, but his head was
buried at Jerusalem. I have nowhere in the Holy Land seen
such great ruins as at Samaria, and yet I have seen great
ones. The city did not stand as the writer of the Histories
seems to think in his commentary on the text, ' The gods
do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall
suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.^^ He
seems to think that the city wall and top of the mountain
were of equal height, and that buildings were built thereon ;
but this was not so, for the city wall was at the foot of the
mountain, well fenced with exceeding strong towers, and
the mount was within it, rising gradually, set about with
buildings even as a bunch is set about with grapes, and
lofty, rising by degrees to a point. The palace- was on the
mountain-top, and was exceeding fair. There may be seen
there to this day very many of the marble columns which
supported its palaces and colonnades. Round about the
mount, below the palace and below the mansions of the
nobles, on the site of the public place or market for buying
and selling, one may find to this day, all round about the
mount, marble columns standing within the walls. These
columns used to support the vaults of the streets, for the

^ I Kings XX. 10,

^ This palace at Samaria {Sebustieh) was the ruin of Herod's Temple
to Augustus.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

streets of this city were vaulted according to the custom of
the Holy Land. In short, I have no more to say about
this city, which has now come to such misery that in real
truth it is a garden of herbs,^ such as Ahab, its King, wanted
to make of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, because
it was near his house. Indeed, at this day, by the just
judgment of God, not only that vineyard, but also the
King's palace itself, has been turned into a garden of herbs.
The situation of this city was an exceeding beauteous one ;
froQi it one had a view even to the sea at Joppa, to Anti-
patris and Caesarea of Palestine, over all the mountains of
Ephraim even to Ramathaim Zophim, and to Carmel by
the sea near Acre. It abounds with fountains, gardens,
vineyards, and all the good things that a man wants in this
world.

Four leagues to the east of Samaria stands the city of
Tirzah,- on a high hill. Here the Kings of Israel reigned for
some time before Samaria was built. It was in the lot of
Manasseh,

Six leagues east of Tirzah, on the road leading to the
Jordan, is the land of Tappuah which, among other
mountains, has one exceeding lofty one. This also was in
the lot of Manasseh, and reaches as far as the plains of
Jordan over against Macherunta.^

Two leagues south of Samaria, near the road which leads
to Sichem, upon a lofty mountain on the right-hand side, is
Mount Bethel, whereon Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, set up
one of the golden calves wherewith he made Israel to sin.
The Saracens corruptly call this place Bothil, not being
able to say Bethel.

Half a league thence beside the road on the left hand is

' T Kings xxi. 2.

2 Tirzah is placed perhaps at Teiasir, north-east of Shechem.

3 Macherunta is Machaerus {^Mekhaur\ east of the Dead Sea.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

another mount, loftier than the first one. It is called Dan,i
and is above the city of Sichem.^ Some say that the other
golden calf was set up thereon ; but others say that it was
in the city of Dan, which now is called Belinas, or Caesarea
Philippi. And this seems to be rather what is meant by
Jerome. A man must choose which he pleases ; this much,
however, is certain, that this mount is called Dan.

Between these two mounts lies the city of Sichem, now
called Neapolis. It is exceeding pleasant, and full of good
things, but is not fortified, neither can it by any means be
fortified ; but all that the inhabitants can do if the enemy
come to one gate is to flee out of the other, if they be fewer
in number : for the city stands in a valley between very
high mountains, so that anyone could cast stones into it by
hand.

About two bow-shots from its southern gate is Jacob's
Well, beside the road leading to Jerusalem. Here is the
Lord's seat, where He sat by the well, and begged the
woman of Samaria for drink.

Above this well, on the right hand, is a high mountain
with two crests,^ one of which is called Mount Gerizim, and
the other, Mount Ebal. Joshua built an altar on Mount
Gerizim, and wrote Deuteronomy (?), and they stood bless-
ing and cursing, and answered from Mount Ebal, as they
were commanded in Deut. xxvii. Upon Mount Gerizim
there is shown at this day an exceeding ancient temple, the
hospice of Jupiter Olympius, which Sanballat,^ the Governor
of the country beyond the river, built in the likeness of the
Temple at Jerusalem for his son-in-law Manasseh, who
wished to be Chief Priest. This temple stood there down

1 Dan is here placed near Gerizim. See Marino Sanuto, p. 17.
^ Supra civitatem Sichem. Laurent says that he does not know
v/hat mount is meant, or what is the meaning of supra in the text.
^ Deut. xi. 29, 30.
* 2 Mace. vi. 2.

A DESCRIPTIOxW OF THE HOLY LAND,

to the time of the destruction wrought by the Romans, and
the traces and ruins thereof are to be seen at this day. It
is this mount and this temple that the woman of Samaria
is thought to have meant and pointed to when she said to
the Lord, ' Our fathers worshipped in this mountain.'^

On the left-hand side of this well there is a great town, but
in ruins, which I believe was Old Sichem, because there are
exceeding great ruins of marble palaces and admirable
columns, standing two bow-shots from Jacob's Well and
resting-place, and on a very pleasant site, save that it is
without water. Nowhere have I seen so fertile and rich a
spot. It is two bow-shots distant from the city, which is
called Neapolis.2 I think that this Neapolis was the town
of Thebes.^

Near this well is the parcel of ground^ which Jacob gave
to his son Joseph, apart from his brethren. It is a long and
fertile and very beauteous valley, and I do not know any
other valley equal thereto in richness.

In Sichem Joseph's bones are buried ; they were brought
thither from Egypt.

Four leagues to the south of Sichem, near the road on
the right hand as you go to Jerusalem, is the village of
Libnah, a very fine place. There is another village named
Libnah^ in the tribe of Judah, but this was in the tribe of
Ephraim.

Five leagues to the south of Libnah is the town of Mich-
mash, a fairly large one, which was the boundary of the
tribe of Ephraim towards the south. It is now called Bira.^
In former days it belonged to the Knights Templars.

^ St. John iv. 20.

2 Neapolis {Ndblus) is confused with Thebez {Tubas), to north-east.

3 Thebez. Judg. ix. 50 ; 2 Sam. xi. 21. * St. John iv. 5.
Libnah is Lebonah {Khan LubbeJt), west of Shiloh. Libnah of

Judah (Josh. x. 29) is unknown.

Michmash i^Mukhmds) is confused with Bireh.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SIGN.

Near its south side is the boundary between the tribe of
Ephraim and the tribe of Benjamin.

One league south of Michmash is Gibeah^ of Saul,^ where
the wife of the Levite, who came from Bethlehem, was
abused, for which deed almost all the tribe of Benjamin
was destroyed. It was the birthplace of Saul, the son of
Kish, the first King of Israel.

One league south of Gibeah is the village of Rama,^
standing on a hill, not far from the roadside, on the left
hand as you go to Jerusalem. It was of this place that
Jeremiah is believed to have said, ' In Rama was a voice
heard.'

Two leagues south of Rama is the glorious city of
Jerusalem, whereof I say nothing at present, as I wish to
go back to Sichem, and first mention the cities in the
corner of Mount Ephraim, and take up my description
where I broke it off.

Note, however, that there are many villages named
Rama in the Holy Land :^ one near Tekoa, on the road
from thence to Hebron ; another in the tribe of Naphtali ;
a third not far from the castle of Sephet. The fourth is
Shiloh, which likewise is called Rama. Rama, being
interpreted, means *' high,' and, indeed, all these villages
stand upon exceeding high hills.

Now, as one goes south {sic) from Sichem toward
Jordan, the first place, four leagues off, is Emon^ (Chephar-
haamonai),^ a very good town, standing in a fair place,

1 Gibeah of Saul is now/ed'a, south of Mukhmas.

2 I Sam. xi. 4.

2 Rama is now er Rdjn^ near Jeb'a, on the west.

^ Rama near Tekoa is Rdmet el Khalil, north of Hebron. Rama
near Sephet is Rdmeh^ south-west of Safed, Rama of Naphtali is
Rdmeh^ south-east of Tyre. Shiloh and Ramathaim Zophim were both
shown in the twelfth century at Nebi Samwil, north of Jerusalem, and
the latter also at Ranileh.

^ Emon is ICe/r 'Ana, north of Bethel. ^ Josh, xviii. 24.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

abounding in all this world's goods. It was in the lot of
(the tribe of) Ephraim.

Four leagues to the east of Emon, at the going down of
Mount Ephraim, on the plain, two leagues from Jordan,
is the village of Phesech,^ at the place where the brook
Cherith runs down from the mountain. Here Elijah abode,
when the ravens brought him food in the morning and in
the evening.

One league from Phesech, to the left hand, toward the
land of Tappuah,'^ is the castle of Docus,^ wherein Ptolemy,
the son of Abobus, treacherously slew Simon Maccabeus.
From this place one can plainly see the land of Gilead and
the land of the two tribes and the half-tribe, the land of
Heshbon and the hill country of Moab, Mounts Abarim,
Pisgah and Nebo.

Here one goes down into the plain of Jordan. This
plain reaches to Jericho and beyond it, all the way down
Jordan even to the Salt Sea. Mount Abarim, Pheger and
Pisgah^ stand straight over against this place, beyond
Jordan. You must know, also, that from the source of
Jordan at the foot of Mount Lebanon even to the wilder-
ness of Paran, for about one hundred miles and more, the
Jordan has wide and fair plains on either bank. Further
on these same plains, with exceeding high mountains on
either side, extend as far as the Red Sea.

Five leagues to the southward, but a little to the east-
ward of Phesech, is the place Gilgal, where the children of

' Phesech is for Phasaelus {^Ficsail), in the Jordan Valley, here sup-
posed to be the Brook Cherith.
2 I Mace. xvi. 15.

' Docus is placed too far north. It was ^AinDuk, north of Jericho,
ac the foot of the Quarantania Mountain.

* Nebo is Jebel Neba, south-west of Heshbon. Phegor (Peor),
Abarim (Mount), and Pisgah, are placed near, at the sites shown in
the fourth century.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

Israel long lay in leaguer after crossing Jordan. There
some of them were circumcised.

Half a league from GilgaF on the way to Jericho, on the
right-hand side of the road, is the mount called Quaren-
tena,- where the Lord fasted forty days and forty nights,
and it is exceeding high and hard to climb. But He was
tempted on another mountain three leagues away from
this one, up in the wilderness, on the south side of Bethel
and Ai.

About two bow-shots below Quarentena Elisha's foun-
tain^ rises and flows forth, whose waters Elisha healed,^
because they were bitter and barren. This stream runs
near Gilgal, on the south side, and turns great mills.
After this it is divided into many channels, waters sugar-
canes, orchards and gardens, as far as Jericho and beyond
Jericho, and then runs into Jordan.

Near Gilgal, half a league to the south, is the Valley of
Achor,^ at the foot of a mountain, in which valley Achan^
was stoned for theft of the accursed thing.

One league to the east of Gilgal stands Jericho. Once
it was a noble city, now it has scarce eight houses. There
are the traces of a poor village, and all the memorials of
the holy places therein have been utterly destroyed.

Two leagues from Jericho, beside Jordan, is a chapel
built in honour of St. John the Baptist,^ on a spot where the
Lord is believed to have been baptized. Yet some think

1 Gilgal seems to be here placed west of Jericho. Quarantania
{Jebel Koruntul) is north-west of Jericho.
^ See Tobler's note on Theoderich, ch. xxix.

^ Elisha's Fountain {Ras el 'Am) is the site of ancient Jericho
Jericho is here placed at the modern er Riha^ to the East. The ruin s
of the sugar mills still exist at the foot of Quarantania.
I Kings ii. 21.

^ The Valley of Achor is Wddy Kelt.

^ Josh. vii.

St. John on Jordan is now Kusr el Yehud.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

that it was done at Salim/ but the traditions of the Church
deny this.

What came to pass in Jericho is well known, and there-
fore I forbear to write it down.

Two leagues from Jericho, near the Dead Sea, is Beth-
hoglah,- where the children of Israel mourned for the death
of Jacob their father, after they brought his body out of
Egypt. This place is one league distant from the Jordan.
Greek monks dwell there.

Three leagues from Jericho, one league from St John's
Chapel by the Jordan, is the Dead Sea, which is also called
the Lake of Asphalt, that is, of bitumen, or the Salt Sea.
It divides Arabia from Judaea. On its eastern shore is the
land of Moab and Ammon and Mount Seir, whereof I have
told you before, and it reaches to Kadesh Barnea and the
wilderness of Paran.

About midway on its eastern shore is shown Monreal,^
which of old was called Petra in the wilderness, and now is
called Krach, an exceeding strong fortress built by Bald-
win, King of Jerusalem, to enlarge the borders of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem; but now the Soldan holds it, and
lays up therein all the treasures of Egypt and Arabia.

Two days' journey south-east of Krach is Arcopolis,^ now
called Petra, the capital city of the whole of the Second
Arabia, described above. Of old it was called Ar, and
stood on the brook Arnon, on the borders of the Moabites,
the Ammonites and the Amorites.

On this same shore is the place where Balaam was led
into the mountains of Moab to curse the children of Israel.

Five leagues to the south-west of Jericho is the town of

^ St. John ill. 23.

2 Bethhoglah is now /Cusr Hajlah.

^ Montreal {Shobek) is wrongly placed here at Kerak. Ludolph,
118; Fabri, ii. 182.
^ Arcopolis (for Areopolis) is Kabbah^ south of Kerak.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

Segor/ at the foot of Mount Engaddi. Between this and
the Dead Sea stands the Pillar of Salt, into which Genesis
tells us that Lot's wife was turned. I strove hard to see
this, but the Saracens told me- that the place was unsafe
because of wild beasts and serpents and worms, and more
especially because of the Bedouins who dwell in those
parts, who are exceeding bold and evil men. These
arguments kept me from going thither, but I have learned
since that it was not so.

The Dead Sea measures six leagues in width from east
to west ; its length from north to south, the Saracens told
me, was five days' journey. It is always smoking,^ and
dark like Hell's chimney. Much has been written and said
about this sea by divers people, which I pass over as known
to many ; nevertheless, you must know that I fear not to
tell what I have seen with my own eyes, and many others
with me, which is, that the whole of the valley which used
rightly to be called the Illustrious^ Valley, from the end of
this sea which is in the wilderness of Paran even to half a
day's journey or so beyond Jericho, is made barren by the
smoke of this sea, so that it neither bears grass nor herb of
any sort throughout its whole breadth, which is five or, in
places, six leagues, save near the city of Jericho, where
sugar-canes and gardens and orchards are watered by
Elisha's Fountain. This is indeed a dreadful judgment of
God, who for so many centuries so punishes the sins of the
Sodomites, that even the land itself pays the penalty
thereof after so many thousands of years.

Above the sea, on the right hand and on the left, are

^ Segor (Zoar) is placed at Zuwez'rak, on the south-west shore of the
Dead Sea. The true site {Tel/ esh Shaghur) was north-east of the
Dead Sea.

- Ludolph, 117 ; Fabri, ii. 150-153.

^ The alteration of sinicans in the text to fu?na72s is obvious.

* So the Vulgate translates Moreh, Gen. xii. 6, etc. See note, p. 48.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

barren and waste mountains, or only inhabited by Bar-
barians for many miles into the land, as far as that smoke
can reach when driven by the wind.

Some declare that Jordan does not mix its waters with
that sea, but that they are swallowed up by the earth
before they reach it ; but Saracens have told me that of a
truth it both enters the sea and leaves the same, but
shortly after leaving it is swallowed up in the earth.

At times this sea overflows, owing to the melting of the
snow on Lebanon and the other mountains, the flooding of
Jordan and the brooks Jabbok, Hermon,^ and Zared,^ and
to rain falling in Galilee, Mount Gilead, the land of Moab,
Ammon, and Seir, from all of which the water runs down
the Jordan into this sea. Moreover, bitumen is found in
it, brought up from its bottom ; which bitumen, when the
wind stirs the sea, clings together and is cast up on the
shores in great quantities. It is strong and medicinal,
cannot be melted save with menstruous blood, and is
called Jews^ pitch. Hence it is called the Lake of Judaea,
or the Lake of Asphalt — that is to say, of bitumen. We
are told in Gen. xiv. that there were many slime-pits in
the Vale of Siddim, which now is the Salt Sea ; and at
this day there are many on its shore. There is always a
pyramid built beside each pit, which thing I have seen
with my own eyes. Let what I have said suffice about
that sea.

Three leagues from the aforesaid place Gilgal, and the
same distance from Elisha's Fountain, to the northward, in
the mountains, on the northern side of Mount Quarentena,
is the city of Ai, which Joshua took by storm, and slew its
king, as we are told in the Book of Joshua (ch. viii.).

One league north, but a little west of Ai, is the city of

^ Hermon is a mistake for Arnon.
2 Numb. xxi. 12.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SI ON.

Bethel/ which once was called Luz, in the tribe of Benjamin.
It was here that Jacob, when going eastward, fleeing from
before the face of his brother Esau, slept with a stone for
his pillow, and saw the ladder set up on the earth, with its
top reaching to heaven, and so forth, as we read in Genesis ;
and here he set up the stone for a pillar, and called the
name of the place Bethel. Those who say that this took
place- at Jerusalem are mistaken, because Melchisedek was
then reigning at Jerusalem, and it was a noble city ; neither
would it have been necessary for Jacob to sleep there in
the field, least of all on Mount Moriah, which then was,
and now is, adjoining the city. Moreover, the proofs of
this thing are shown at Bethel at this day : there is the
stone set up for a pillar, and the tomb of Deborah, Rebecca's
nurse," down below in the valley. Yet some say that
Jerusalem was named Bethel, foolishly pinning their faith
to the verses :

' Solima, Luz, Bethel, Jerusalem, Jebus, Aelia,
The holy city Jerusalem was called, and Salem too.'

I should be glad to learn from these people in what
places in the Old or New Testament they find any proof
of Jerusalem's being called either Luz or Bethel, unless,
perhaps, they mean to call the Temple Bethel — that is,
God's House. Moreover, upon the text of Gen. xiii. 3,
' Abram went on his journeys from the south, even unto
Bethel,' Jerome, who had seen the place, has the following
gloss : ' Bethel is a city twelve miles from Jerusalem, in
the tribe of Benjamin, on the right hand as thou goest to
Neapolis.' Neapolis is Sichem, near Luz, which is in the
tribe of Ephraim, and the border between the tribe of
Benjamin and Ephraim passes through the midst thereof.

1 Bethel is now Beitin. ~ John of Wiirzburg, ch. iv.

2 Gen. XXXV. 8.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

A league north of Bethel, towards Rama, is the palm-
tree of Deborah, the wife of Lapidoth, who judged Israel,
and sent Barak to fight against Sisera on Mount Tabor.

Two leagues from Bethel, one league from Jerusalem,
not far from Rama of Benjamin, is Anathoth,^ a little
village of priests, which was the birthplace of the prophet
Jeremiah.

To the east and south of Anathoth begins the wilderness
which is between Jerusalem and Jericho, which now is
called the wilderness of Quarentena, and reaches beyond
Gilgal, even to the wilderness over against Tekoa and
Engaddi.

Near the Dead Sea, on its western shore, one league
from. Zoar, is the going up of Mount Engaddi,^ where
we read that David once lay hid when Saul sought for him
to slay him.

On this mount and round about it was a garden of
balsam ; but in the days of Herod the Great, Cleopatra,
Queen of Egypt, out of hatred for Herod and by favour of
Mark Anthony, removed it to Babylon in Egypt.^ So
there I saw it when I came into Egypt to the Soldan,
who had me taken thither ; and I carried off much
balsam-wood, and bathed in the well which waters the
garden. The gardeners told me that from noon on Satur-
day even to Monday oxen would not draw water from
that well, even if they were cut in pieces.

This garden is two bov/-shots long, and a stone's-throw
or more wide. The garden of balsam in Egypt is tilled by
Christian gardeners alone, and is watered from a well
wherein the Blessed Virgin is said to have often dipped the
boy Jesus.

^ Anathoth appears to be correctly placed at \4ndla.

Engaddi (Engedi) is at 'Ain Jidy, north of Zuweirah.
2 Ludolph von Suchem, ch. xxx., p. 68.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

Yet even to this day there are some exceeding noble
vine-stocks on Engaddi ; but Saracens do not tend them,
and no Christians, who would tend them, live there.

Beneath Engaddi, by the side of the Dead Sea, there are
exceeding beauteous trees ; but their fruit, when plucked,
is found to be all ashes and dust within.

The mountains of Engaddi are exceeding high, and are
strangely shaped with precipices and valleys, so that I
have never seen the like, and they strike terror into the
beholders.

Four leagues to the west of Jericho, on the road to
Jerusalem, to the left of Quarentena, is the Castle of
Adummim,^ the place where the man who went down from^
Jerusalem to Jericho fell am.ong thieves. This has befallen
many on the same spot in modern times, and the place
has received its name from the frequent blood shed there.
Of a truth it is horrible to behold, and exceeding dangerous,
unless one travels with an escort.

Two leagues west of Adummim is Bahurim^ in the tribe
of Benjamin. This was the city of Shimei, the son of
Gera, who abused David when he fled from before the
face of Absalom, as we read in 2 Sam. xvi. 5. It is a fair
castle, and stands upon a high hill.

In the valley beneath, on the east side on the king's high-
way leading from Adummim, is the stone of Beon^ of the
children of Reuben, which is as big as a pot, and looks
like marble.

Two bow-shots to the west of Bahurim, on the slope of

1 Adummim is correctly placed at Tal'at ed Duimn.

^ Josh. XV. 7 ; xviii. 18. See Tobler's note on Theod., ch. xxviii.,
Ernoul, p. 60, and Fabri, ii. 65.

Bahurim is placed east of Bethany.

* This stone of Beon (Bohan), may be the Roman milestone called
Dabbus el ^Abd ('slave's club ') on the Jericho road, but the true site
was near Gilgal.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

a hill, stands Bethany, the village^ of Martha and Mary.
Before its door, less than a stone's-throw away, near a
cistern in the field, is shown the place where first Martha
and then Mary, called by her, met the Lord when He
came to Bethany.

In Bethany they still show the house of Simon the
leper, wherein the Lord sat with him at table, and likewise
Martha's house, wherein He was often a guest. This is
now made into a church dedicated to them. (They also
show) Lazarus's tomb, from whence he was raised, which
is not far from the church/^ At this place a very fair and
beauteous marble chapel has been built, and a monument,
which is itself covered with marble, down into which I
went. The Saracens greatly honour this sepulchre because
of the miracle of resurrection which the Lord wrought
there.

As you leave Bethany, you do not at first see Jerusalem,
because of the Mount of Olives, which stands between ;
but first you climb a rising ground, and then you see part
of the beloved city and Mount Sion. O God, how many
devout tears have been shed at this place by those who
have there beheld the joy of the whole earth, the city of
the great King ! O what delight will it be to see the
place of Thy glory, blessed Jesus, when we see the place
of Thy shame and confusion with such exultation ! But
let us put aside all this and come as quickly as we can to
Jerusalem.

NovV we go down the mount, and again the beloved city
is hidden from our sight Moreover, on the east side of
the Mount of Olives, near Bethphage, a very small village,
which we pass a stone's-throw off, on the left hand in the

1 Castellum. So kw^?/ is translated in the Vulgate. See Smith's
' Dictionary of the Bible,' art. ' Bethany.'

- The tomb of Lazarus is still shown In a crypt-chapel in Bethany
el ^Azeriyeh^ as in the fourth century.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SI ON.

valley, at the foot of the Mount of Offence/ the road goes
up along the south side of the Mount of Olives and circles
round it. We now come to the place where the Lord
mounted the ass, and straightway there shines forth the
city with the Temple, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
and the other holy places. We come now to the going
down the Mount of Olives, where He saw the city and
wept bitterly over it, while crowds went before and after
Him, shouting ' Hosanna to the Son of David!' and re-
joicing at His blessed coming. Let us go on, pass over
the brook Cedron between the place of His prayer when
in an agony and His capture in Gethsemane, and follow
Him, if haply we may be suffered to come to Golgotha,
where His feet stayed nailed to the cross, and running
with blood ; let us die there with Christ, that together
with Him we may rise again.

JERUSALEM.

Vni. Now, Jerusalem, the city of God most high,
whereof very excellent things- have been spoken and are
spoken daily, stands on mountainous ground. The moun-
tains stand round about it, nevertheless it has good and
fertile land in its neighbourhood, save only on the east
toward Jordan. It is thirty-six leagues from Acre, which
is to the north, sixteen from Sebaste or Samaria, thirteen
from Sichem, thirty -seven from Nazareth. All these
places are to the north of it. It is thirteen leagues from
Joppa, which stands a little north of west from it. It is
seven leagues from Jericho, which is to the east of it. It
is two leagues from Bethlehem, eight from Tekoa, and
eight from Hebron. These places are to the south of it.

1 Mount of Offence was a mediaeval name for the south part of
Olivet.

^ Ps. Ixxxvii. 2.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

It stands in a twofold fashion on the slope of a hill ;
that is to say, on the south and west sides thereof. On
the southward it stands alongside of Mount Sion, or, rather,
part of it is on Mount Sion itself, and part on the slope
thereof. Its length extends from Mount Sion towards
the north. On its west side it has Mount Gihon, and from
it its width reaches eastward even to the brook Cedron
or the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which is the same thing.

It is a pretty large city, as I shall tell you hereafter,
and does not, as some vainly declare, stand in a different
place to what it did at the time of the Lord's Passion.
The argument on that side is that since the Lord suffered
without the gate, and the place is now within the city
walls, therefore the city must stand in a different place.
But they know not what they say, and want to show what
they have not seen. The city stands now where it hath
ever stood, for since the Lord's Temple stands within the
city walls, it would be foolish, nay, altogether impossible,
to move it to another place because of the walls wherewith
it is fenced on all sides, the like whereof it could in nowise
have elsewhere. But as a matter of fact it has spread
itself out, in width, though not in length, and the whole
of the ancient city, together with Mount Sion, is now
within the walls, and is inhabited ; but at this day there
are very few inhabitants for so great a city, because the
people thereof dwell in continual terror. I have to the
best of my ability traced out its ancient position.

In ancient times, as at this day, Mount Sion partly over-
hung the city, being a roomy place, which of itself could
contain a pretty large city. This mount begins at the
Water Gate, or Gate of the Fountain of Siloam, on the east
side, and forms a half-circle round by way of the south to
the west side, where was the Tower of David. Throughout
all this circle was steep rock and arches like those of the

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

half-circle called Mello, to fill up which between Mount
Sion and the lower city we read that the Kings of Judah
worked very hard. The Tower of David stands on the
west side, on a hill somewhat higher than the steep wall
of rock, and the torrent-bed which comes from the south
side of Mount Sion, and follows it to the west side, straight-
way turned round from west to east as soon as it came to
the tower, encompassing the same. Thus, the tower stood
on a rock in a bend of the torrent-bed. The valley or
torrent-bed which girded it round about was divided into
two deep valleys, one of which pointed toward the north,
and the other toward the east. These two valleys made
another corner, over against the corner where the Tower
of David stood, which was the corner of the lower city,
as will be explained hereafter.

Now, this valley which came down from the Tower of
David passed along the north side of Mount Sion even
to Mount Moriah, where was the Temple, parting Mount
Moriah and all the lower city from Mount Sion. This
torrent-bed went yet further, even to the brook Cedron,
through the place where the Water Gate now stands,
between Mount Sion and Solomon's palace, which is built
on the southern side of Mount Moriah. Thus this torrent-
bed in ancient times encircled Mount Sion on every side.
This was the city of David. At this day the whole of
this torrent-bed is filled up; nevertheless, its traces maybe
made out after a fashion.^

The second torrent-bed or valley which split off from it
at the Tower of David, as aforesaid, went northward, and
formed the town-ditch on the west side for the whole length
of the city, even to its northern end. All the way along it
was overhung on the inner side bv' the rock called Acra by

1 See the ' Survey of Western Palestine,' vol. vi. (Jerusalem),
p. 230.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Josephus, upon which rock the city wall was built. This
wall enclosed the city on the west, even to the Gate of
Ephraim, where it turned away again to the east, up to the
Gate of the Corner, which stood at the corner of the city,
which is the north-east corner. Here the wall turned again
from north, round eastward to south, passing outside the
Temple area, enclosing it and the King's house and the
Fountain or Water Gate, near Mount Sion on the east.
This was the circuit of the city. Now, the rock whereon,
as aforesaid, the west wall of the city was built was very
high, especially at the corner where the west part of the
wall joined the north part. This place was much loftier
than the rest, and here was built the tower called Nebu-
losa,^ and an exceeding strong castle, whose ruins are there
still. From it one has a view of Arabia and Jordan and
the Dead Sea and many other places. Yet some would
have it that the Tower Nebulosa was near the Temple — a
thing whereof the form and slope of the ground does not
admit. From this exceeding high rock on the west side,
as aforesaid, the breadth of the city sloped down gradually
to the east wall, which stood above the brook Cedron.
This place then was, and now is, the lowest part of the city,
wherefore the refuse of this city used to run down through
the Dung Gate into the brook Cedron.

Beyond this oft-mentioned torrent-bed or valley on the
west side of the city, on the left hand as one comes out of
the Old or Judgment Gate, the Lord was crucified ; and
long after His Passion the torrent-bed was filled up, and
another wall brought round from the Tower of David^ even

1 Psephinus is here rendered Tsephon, 'dark' or 'cloudy,' and
placed at KaVat Jalud, or the Castle of the Pisans, in the north-west
corner of modern Jerusalem. The true site was probably further off
to the north-west.

2 This wall is supposed by Burchard to run from Da\id's Tower on
the west, to the Gate of Judgment east of the Cathedral, passing just

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

to the Gate of Ephraim, which is now called St. Stephen's
Gate.

Thou seest, therefore, that the city was overhung on the
south by Mount Sion, and on the west by that rock, part of
Mount Gihon,^ which rose exceeding high along the western
side, and that the whole city lay as it were on a slope to
the eastward and northward, at the feet of these two
mountains.

Mount Moriah, whereon the Lord's Temple and the
King's palace were built, was somewhat higher than the
city, as is clearly seen from the position of the Temple and
its courts, as described by Josephus ; and each of them are
described in (his) histories. But all these places are now
utterly levelled, and are almost lower than any other part
of the city ; for the mount was pulled down by the Romans
and cast into the brook Cedron, together with all the ruins
of the Temple and its courts, as may be clearly seen at this
day. The Temple area is square, and is more than a bow-
shot long and wide. The Temple which is now built
thereon almost touches the city wall, which the true and
ancient Temple did not, because there were four courts
between it and the wall ; but now it is not more than about
a hundred feet away from the wall and the brook Cedron.

Not far, that is to say, less than a stone's-throw to the north
of the Temple area, is the Valley Gate, (so called) because
through it one goes down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat. It
was also called the Sheep Gate, because through it came the
sheep for sacrifice in the Temple. Adjoining it stood a
tower, which some have thought to be the Tower Nebulosa

south of Calvary ; then to have turned north to St. Stephen's Gate
(see p. 81), now the Damascus Gate.

1 Mount Gihon is the hill west of Jerusalem, the Upper Gihon
being (wrongly) supposed to be Birket Mamilla^ and the Lower
Gihon (not noticed in the Old Testament) to be Birket es Sultdii^ a
pool made in the twelfth century A.D. (See ' City of Jerusalem.')

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

or Tower of Hananeel ; but it really was the Tower of
Phaselus. Its ruins may be seen to this day.

Entering through the Valley or Sheep Gate, one straight-
way finds on the left hand, near the Temple area, a sheep-
pool, wherein the Nethinims used to wash their victims,
and then give them to the priests to be offered in the
Temple. This is shown, still having the five porticoes
wherein St. John tells us the sick people lay awaiting the
troubling of the water.

On the right hand of the way as you enter by the afore-
said gate, in St. Anne^s Church, there is shown another
great pool,^ which is called ' the inner pool.'^ Hezekiah
made this in the following manner : He stopped the
upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought its waters under-
ground to the west of the Tower of David, through the
aforesaid valley, digging the hard rock with iron, as we
read in Ecclesiasticus, and brought the water through the
midst of the city into this pool, that in time of siege the
people might have water to drink, and the Assyrians might
not be able to hinder them.^ But as for the fountain of
water on Gihon, which is near the Fuller's Field,^ this he
brought into the upper pool, which is above the bathing-
pool of Siloam. Ahaz began to make this pool, but did
not finish it. It is of this pool and this spring that Isaiah
spake when he said, ' Go forth ... at the end of the con-
duit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field 'f
for this pool is, and is called higher in respect to the bath-
ing-pool of Siloam, because the bathing-pool of Siloam
receives water both from this pool and from the Fountain
of Siloam, because it lies lower than they.

1 The ' Inner pool' is that west of St. Anne. The ' Sheep pool ' is
Birket Israil. The Sheep Gate is now St. Stephen's Gate.
- 2 Kings XX. 20 ; 2 Chron. xxxii. 30 ; Ecclus. xlviii. 17.
■' Isa. vii. 3, xxxvi. 2 ; 2 Kings xviii. 17.
Isa. vii. 3.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

Note now these divers pools and their names. The first
and chief pool in Jerusalem was the sheep-pool, with five
porticos. Solomon made this for the service of the Temple.
The second was near it, on the north, in St. Anne's Church,
and was called the inner pool. Hezekiah made it, and it
has been described just before. The third is the bathing-
pool of Siloam, which was at the foot of the Mount of
Olives and of Mount Sion, near Aceldama, and got its water
from the Fountain of Siloam. Hezekiah made this also.
The fourth was the upper pool, aforesaid, which also Heze-
kiah made. And if you find it anywhere stated that this
fourth pool was within the city, it is not true ; nay, it is
altogether impossible. I know that both in the gloss and
in the text of the ' burden of the valley of vision one reads
that the upper pool was in the city, and had its water from
the Fountain of Siloam ; but this can nowise be, seeing
that the city is more than four hundred cubits higher than
the Fountain of Siloam, and water cannot flow up to so
great a height. Yet it is true that it has its water from the
Fountain of Siloam and from the lower fountain of Gihon,
because it stands without the cit}^, beneath those fountains,
not far from the bathing-pool of Siloam. Other pools I
have not seen, neither have I read of there being, or having
of old been, any other in Jerusalem, unless one would like
to count the * brazen sea ' that stood before the Temple as
a pool. However, in modern times some bathing-places
have been built within the city, not far from the Patriarch's
house and St. John's Hospital, which are not mentioned in
Scripture.^

The Valley of Jehoshaphat also enclosed the city, passing
along its east side at the foot of the Mount of Olives.

^ Isa. xxii.

- For these pools see note on Piscina Interior in the ' City of Jeru-
salem,' and notes to Marino Sanuto, p. 49.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Though this valley is pretty deep, yet is it much filled
up ; for the Romans, as Josephus tells us, when they were
besieging the city on that side, cut down the olives and
other trees, made mounds of them, and filled up the valley
with the mounds. Moreover, after the city had been taken,
Helius (sic) Adrianus caused all the ruins of the courts and
of the temple to be cast into the brook Cedron, and Mount
Moriah to be levelled, so that the place might not again
be fortified, and he had the city sown with salt. All of
this is obvious to anyone on the spot, for the glorious
Virgin's sepulchre, which stands in the Valley of Jehosha-
phat, and not at the bottom of it, but at the foot of the
Mount of Olives, was nevertheless hardly higher than
the bottom of the valley, or above the surface, at the
time when Jerusalem was dwelt in before its destruction,
and now it is far beneath the earth, so that the whole
church, albeit high and vaulted, is now quite underground
and entirely covered, and the valley above it is quite
smooth, so that there is a road along which one can walk
over the top of the church. Howbeit, on the surface of
the earth there is a building in the form of a chapel,
which you enter and go down many steps underground
into the church itself, and you will come to the glorious
Virgin's sepulchre. I believe that there are sixty steps.
The sepulchre stands in the midst of the choir before the
a^tar, and is of marble, and wondrously adorned. I have
been in this church and have seen the sepulchre. But
this church is exceedingly damp inside, because beneath
it runs the brook Cedron, covered up with the aforesaid
fillings-up, and whenever there is a flood of rain-water,
this brook, which still runs in its old channel under the
fillings-up, bursts forth and fills the church, so that often
it runs up all the steps and out at the mouth of the chapel
at the top of them. In the burying-ground of the church,

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SIGN.

not far from its door, the natives draw water from a well,
which in Nehemiah (ii. 13) is called the Dragon Well/
which is before the Valley Gate or Sheep Gate.^ The
Blessed Virgin's church is lighted within by east windows
looking on the Mount of Olives, where, from the nature
of the ground, the daylight can well come at them.

To the eastward — not far — that is, about fifty feet, from
the door of the chapel leading into the church, there is
the door of another church, which is called Gethsemane,
where was the garden into which the Lord entered with
His disciples. It is on the side of the mount, and is
built against a hollow rock that hangs down from the
mount. Beneath this rock the disciples were sitting when
the Lord said to them, ' Sit ye here, while I go and pray
yonder.'^ The place where they sat is shown there at
this day. There also is shown the place where He was
taken by the multitude, and Judas betrayed Him with a
kiss. The imprint of His skull may be seen in the over-
hanging rock,^ and the marks of His head and of His hair.
This imprint He is said to have made when He caught
hold of the rock, when the multitude laid hold on Him.
Note that not even dust, so to speak, can be broken off
from this stone ; albeit, I worked much with iron tools,
that I might carry away a piece thereof, and yet the afore-
said prints can be seen as plainly as if the rock had been
dough.

A stone's-throw south of Gethsemane is the place where
He prayed apart from them, and His sweat was like
drops of blood falling upon the ground. Here also is a

^ Ludolph, p. 49.

^ The Dragon Well is (wrongly) placed at the tank outside the
present St. Stephen's Gate.
3 Matt. xxvi. 36.
* Fabri, i. 476.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

Stone of the same sort, having like prints of His knees and
hands.

Between this place and Gethsemane, in front of the
Blessed Virgin's church, passes the road which leads up
to the Mount of Olives, Bethany, and Jordan.

IMore than a stone's-throw to the south of the place
where the Lord prayed, over against the Temple, and at
the foot of the Mount of Olives, in the Valley of Jehosha-
phat, stands that King's sepulchre, having an exceeding
beauteous monument built above it.

At the foot of Mount Sion, over against Solomon's
palace, on the west side of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, is
the Fountain of Siloam, from which the water flows through
a conduit to the upper pool and the bathing-pool of Siloam,
when the fountain there overflows with water : for it flows
not continually, but at intervals.

Both these pools are at the foot of Mount Sion, between
it and Aceldama. Water also runs into these pools from
the lower spring of Gihon,^ which rises beneath the Fuller's
Field, near the place where Rabshakeh stood and railed
against the Lord.

Near these pools, but a stone's-throw further along the
valley to the south, is the Field of Aceldama, where pilgrims
are buried, which was bought with the thirty pieces of
silver for which Judas sold the Lord. In this field there
are many costly tombs.

Below the pools and the Field of Aceldama, on the east
side of them, runs the brook Cedron, with the additional
waters which it brings down with it from parts above, to
wit, from Rama and Anathoth, and the sepulchre of the
Queen of Adiabene.^ Its noise can be heard far beneath

' The Lower Gihon is here Birket es Sulidn.

- The tomb of the Kings of Adiabene, here placed in the Kidron
Valley, was really north of Jerusalem.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SI ON.

the Church of the Blessed Virgin as it runs down to this
place. Moreover, the overflow waters from these pools
join it, and so they all run down together into the Valley
of Gehennon, also called the place of Tophet. In this
valley is the stone Zoheleth, and likewise the well Rogel/
where Adonijah made a feast when he tried to be King.
There also was buried Isaiah, who was sawn asunder near
the Fountain of Siloam : the place is more than a bow-shot
away from it. All these places are exceeding pleasant
with gardens and green shrubs, full of good fruits, and
watered by the brook Cedron.

Above this place is the Mount of Offence. In this valley
there was a grove, and they used to pass their children
through the fire and worship idols there.

Let what has been said suffice for the description of the
places round about the city.

Note now that there are many holy places in the city
which stir men to devotion, so many that one day does not
suffice for visiting them all. However, among all these the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre holds the first place.

This church is round, and measures in diameter between
the columns seventy-three feet, without counting the apses,
which measure thirty feet round from the wall of the
church. 2 Above the Lord's sepulchre, which is in the
middle of the church, there is a round opening, so that the
whole of the crypt of the sepulchre stands in the open air.

Adjoining this is the Church of Golgotha. It is oblong,
and joins the choir of the Church of the Lord's Sepulchre, but
is somewhat lower. But both of them are under one roof.

The cave wherein is the Lord's sepulchre is eight feet
long, and likewise eight feet wide. It is entirely cased
with marble on the outside, but within it is bare rock, even

1 En Rogel is here 'Am Eyub (Job's or Joab's Well).

2 See Anon., p. 21, note. Compare Marino Sanuto, iii., xiv. 7, p.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

as it was at the time of His burial. The doorway into this
cave enters from the east, and is very low and small.

On the right hand as one enters is the tomb of the holy
sepulchre, against the north wall. It is of gray-coloured
marble, and is three palms above the surface of the pave-
ment, and eight feet long, even as is the crypt or cave itself
within, and is closed on every side. No light from without
can be "had inside, because there is no window to bring
light into it ; but nine lamps hang above the Lord's
sepulchre, which give light within. There is also another
cave outside of this cave, of the same length and width
and arrangements both without and within. From without
these two caves seem to be one, but when you enter you
will see that they are divided in the middle one from the
other. First one enters the one, and then the other,
wherein is the sepulchre. It was the first one which the
women entered when they said, ' Who will roll away the
stone for us ?' etc. This stone was rolled up against the
doorway into the inner cave, and at this day a great part
of it lies before the door of the inner cave, against which it
was rolled, in the midst thereof The other part of it has
been translated to Mount Sion, to support the altar there.
This piece also I saw at that place.

Mount Calvary, whereon the Lord was crucified, is
seventy feet distant from the place of the sepulchre. One
goes up eighteen feet above the paved floor of the church,
to the place where the cross was fixed in the rock. The
rent in this same rock wherein the cross was fixed is as
large as my head, and extends lengthways eighteen feet,
from the place of the crucifixion down even to the pave-
ment below. Even to this day the colour of the blood of
our Lord Jesus Christ may be seen in the rent in the rock.
This rent was beneath His left hand. Near this place
where His left hand was a very beauteous marble altar has

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

been built. I have said a Mass of the Passion and read
the Passion according to St. John in a Mass celebrated at
the very place of Christ's Passion.

This chapel is entirely paved with marble, and its walls
are covered with marble and adorned with mosaic work of
the purest gold.

Twenty-four feet to the east of Calvary there is an altar
beneath which is part of the pillar whereat the Lord was
scourged, which has been brought thither from the house
of Pilate. It is covered in by the stone of the altar, yet in
such sort that it can be touched, seen, and kissed by the
faithful. It is a piece of dark porphyritic stone, with natural
red spots, which the vulgar believe to be the stains of
Christ's blood.

Another part of this pillar is said to have been translated
to Constantinople.

Ten feet east of the altar of this column, one goes down
forty-eight steps to the place where Helena found the
cross.

Here there is a chapel and two altars far beneath the
earth.

The place wherein the cross was dug up seems to me to
have been one of the ditches of the city, into which the
crosses were cast after the bodies had been taken down
from them, and all the refuse of the city heaped upon
them, until Helena cleansed the place and found the cross ;
for the place of the Passion was near the city, and there
was a garden in the place.

Now, the place where the Blessed Virgin stood near the
cross with the other women was not beneath the arm of
the cross on the north side, but before her Son's face on
the west side, or nearly. The place where she stood before
her Son's face as He hung upon the cross is shown at the
foot of the mount and rock wherein the cross was fixed.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

and is venerated by the faithful. I have often seen this
place. Moreover, Christ, when hanging upon the cross,
turned His face to the west, not to the east, as some would
have it. This is clear, because the great torrent-bed afore-
said, which served as a ditch to the city on the western
side, was at the back of the cross, and the cross was cast
into it, and afterwards found therein as aforesaid.

There are many well-decorated altars in this church.

Before the west door of this church, outside, is the place
where Mary^ of Egypt prayed before the Blessed Virgin's
image after she had tried to enter the church and had been
miraculously driven away from it, and was consoled by the
Blessed Virgin's answer to her prayer.

Going on from thence toward the Tower of David and
Mount Sion, is the place where St. James was beheaded
by Herod Agrippa. As you go thence toward Mount Sion,
you will find the house of Caiaphas, where the Jews mocked
Christ, and the place wherein they shut Him up until the
morrow, which place is called the Lord's Prison. A
stone's-throw south of this is the place to which the Blessed
Virgin Mary removed and dwelt for as long as she lived
after the Lord's ascension. Near this place is the great
supper-room, wherein the Lord supped with His disciples,
washed their feet, gave them His Body and Blood, and
appeared to them many times after His resurrection,
where Matthias was chosen an Apostle by lot, where the
Holy Ghost was sent down, and many glorious works were
wrought.

Note that the city of Jerusalem stands on exceeding
lofty ground. From it you can see all Arabia, Mounts
Abarim, Nebo, and Pisgah, the plain of Jordan, and Jericho

1 Anon., pp. 12, 19, 23 ; Fabri, ii. 25 ; Guide Book, pp. 9, 15 ; ' Con-
dition of Jerusalem,' p. 35 ; Marino Sanuto, p. 41, all in this series ;
also Willis's ' Holy Sepulchre,' p. 102.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

and the Dead Sea, even to Petra in the wilderness. I have
never seen any city or place which had a finer view. One
goes to it uphill from every quarter, because it stands on
the highest ground in that land, save only Shiloh, two
leagues distant therefrom.

With regard to the size of the Holy City, you must know
that, according to Josephus, the city, without Mount Sion,
measured thirty-three stadia round about. Together with
Mount Sion, the outer wall — that is to say, the third wall —
according to the same Josephus, had ninety towers, each
tower being at a distance of two hundred cubits — that is,
four hundred feet — which makes sixty paces between tower
and tower. If we multiply these sixty paces by the ninety
towers, the result will be five thousand four hundred paces,
which form the circuit of the city. Now, seeing that a
hundred and twenty-five paces make a stadium, if you
divide five thousand four hundred by one hundred and
twenty-five, the quotient is forty stadia, which make five
miles. This was the circuit of the city at the time of its
destruction by the Romans, as Josephus tells us. But
since then the Christians have enlarged the city, and have
enclosed the place of the Lord's sepulchre within the walls. ^
The venerable Lord and Father James of Vitry, Patriarch
of Jerusalem, in his book- on the conquest of the Holy
Land, says, among other matters : ' This often-mentioned
and often-to-be-mentioned city stands altogether on a lofty
mountain ; it is enclosed on all sides by a strong wall, and
is neither straitened by excess of smallness nor is it ukely
to offend by over-greatness. It measures four bow-shots
across from wall to wall, and has also on the west side a

1 Doubts seem to have been already raised as to the site of the
Holy Sepulchre. Mediaeval Jerusalem was not larger, but smaller,
than the Jerusalem of the time of Christ.

1 * Historia Abbreviata,' Ix.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

fortress of squared stones cemented together unbreakably
with mortar and lead, which on one side serves as a wall
to the city, and is called the Tower of David. This is
what some call Antony's Tower,^ and has on its south side
Mount Sion, whereon David built him a house, and where
also he is buried, together with the other kings. He called
it the City of David. But Mount Calvary, whereon the
Lord was crucified, stood without the city wall, on the west
side ; howbeit Aelius Adrianus rebuilt the city, which Titus
and Vespasian had destroyed, and so greatly enlarged it
that he included the place of the crucifixion and the
sepulchre within the circuit of the walls, the whole site,
nevertheless, remaining as before.' Thus far I have quoted^
the Lord James's words.

Let us now describe its gates, and the mountains that are
round about it, and its notable places.

The first gate was David's Gate, which was on the west
side of Mount Sion, where is the corner of the lower city,
over against the Tower of David, at the place where the
two torrent-beds branched off away from one another, one
toward the north, the other toward the east. Here there
was a vaulted building before the gate, but on the further
side of the valley, through which the road out of the city
led. On the right hand of this vaulted building Judas
hanged himself on a sycamore-tree. This was called the
Fish Gate, because through it passed the road from Joppa
and Diospolis and the sea-shore, along which road they
used to bring fish. It was called the Gate of the Merchants,
because through it passed the road to Bethlehem, Hebron,
Gaza, Egypt, and Ethiopia. It was also called David's
Gate, because the Tower and the City of David over-
hung it.

1 ' Ipse eadem est que a quibusdam eciam Antonii dicitur.'
- Very loosely.

BY DURCHARD OF MOUNT SI ON.

The second gate counting from this was in the same side
<jf the wall — that is, looking westward — but was at a distance
to the north of the first, and was called the Old Gate,
because it had been there from the time of the Jebusites.
It was also called the Gate of Judgment, because judgment
was given before it, and sentences, after judgment had
been given, were carried out without that gate. Without
this gate the Lord was crucified, for the Pavement, or Place
of Judgment, is within the city wall near that gate. Traces
of this gate are still to be seen in the old wall of the city,
and in the new wall which encloses the Lord's sepulchre,
there is a gate which answers thereunto, and is called by
the same name. It leads to Shiloh, Beth-horon, and
Gibeon.^

The third gate is to the north of this, and is called the
Gate of Ephraim, because the road to Mount Ephraim led
through it. At this gate the new wall which was built to
enclose the Lord's sepulchre, met the old wall. This is
.now called St. Stephen^s Gate,^ for he was stoned without
that gate. It leads to Sichem, Samaria, and Galilee.

The fourth gate is to east of this one, at the corner of the
city above the brook Cedron, and is called the Gate of the
Corner. It is also called the Gate of Benjamin, because
through it led the road to Anathoth, and Bethel, and the
wilderness, and the other cities of (the tribe of) Benjamin.

The fifth gate was to the south of this one, and was
called the Dunghill or Dung Gate. It stood above the
brook Cedron. Through it likewise a road led into the
desert. But this gate was not much frequented, because
the places to which it led were uncivilized.

The sixth gate in like manner was to the south of this
one, and was called the Sheep Gate, because the sheep for
sacrifice in the Temple were driven in through it, because

1 P. 68, note 2. ^ Now the Damascus Gate.

82 A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

the sheep-pool was near it. It was also called the Valley
Gate, because the road throu^^h it led into the Valley of
Jehoshaphat. The Blessed Virgin's sepulchre is a stone's-
throw distant from it. It was overhung by the tower called
Phaselus, built by King Herod. It was also called the
Gate of the Dragon Well, because without it was the well
called the Dragon Well. Along this road one goes to the
Mount of Olives, to Bethany, and to the Jordan.

The seventh gate is also to the south of this, and is called
the Golden Gate. It also stood above the brook Cedron,
but it was in the courtyard of the Temple. But mark that
this was not a gate of the city, but of the Temple.^ Through
it, however, led a road by a short cut from the Mount of
Olives on the further side of the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
through an arch. Within it was the gate of the Temple
which was called Beautiful. From this gate a road led to
Bethany, Jericho, and Jordan.

The eighth gate was also to the south of the above, and
stood in the valley above the brook Cedron, between Mount
Sion and the Mount of the Temple. It was called the
Gate of the Fountain of Siloani, or the Water Gate, because
it led to the fountain and bathing-pool of Siloam, and the
Valley of Gehennon, and Aceldama, and the King's garden.
I should incline to believe that this was the Dung Gate,
from its position, rather than the other one aforesaid.^ Mor
do I believe that there were any more gates in Jerusalem,
because, from the situation of the city, they were not needed
all round about Mount Sion ; and if a gate were needed,
yet there could not possibly have been one there, for the
form of the ground, which is steep on every side, for-
bade it.

^ The identification of the ancient gates has no value, because the
course of the old walls was not understood, and none of the gates are
correctly placed.

- Neither position is correct.

BY B ORCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

The mountains round about Jerusalem were as follows :

To the east of the city was the Mount of Olives, which
stood above it, being greater and higher than the other
mountains round about it. On its top a church has been
built, on the place where the Lord ascended into heaven.
This place is in the midst of the church, and above it there
is an opening, that the space in the air through which He
ascended may remain open also. It is true that the stone
whereon He stood when He ascended, and which contains
the prints of His feet, was placed there for a memorial.
This stone is so placed as to block up the east door ; but
without mortar, so that one can easily put in one's hand
and touch the footprints, but cannot see them. On the
south side a chapel adjoins^ this church, wherein in a cave^
is buried Pelagia,^ once a noted courtesan, upon whom the
Lord subsequently bestowed the grace of repentance, and
made her an example to sinners. It is said that none living
in mortal sin can pass between her tomb and the wall
beside it ; but I know not the truth of this ; I have seen
many pass through there.

On this same mount, less than a stone's-throw to the
south, there is another church, which is called the House of
Bread, where the Lord taught His disciples to pray, and
wrote the Lord's Prayer on a stone there.

The Mount of Offence adjoins the Mount of Olives on
the south, and is fairly high; but the two are separated by
a valley between them. It is called the Mount of Offence
because Solomon set up a temple of Moloch thereon, over
against the Temple, and provoked the Lord to anger.

At its foot, on the south side, is the Place of Tophet, or
Gehinnon.

1 Adheret.

2 St. Pelagia's vaulc is still shown near the summit of Olivet.

^ Cf". Antoninus, xvi. ; Theoderich, ed. T. Tobler, St. Gall and Paris,
1865, p. 245 ; and in this series Anon., ii. 7 ; v. i ; vii., med. ; ' City of
Jerusalem,' p. 40 ; Fabri, i. 499.

84 A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

To the south-east of the city stands the Field of
Aceldama, with a very high mount above it called by the
same name, which reaches almost all the way over against
the south side of the city.

The Fuller's Field adjoins this on the west side, and above
it there is a mount as high as the aforesaid one.

On the west side of the city Mount Gihon adjoins the
Fuller's Field, but the road leading from David's Gate
passes between them. This Mount Gihon overlooks the
city on the west side, but gradually falls away, so that
over against the Old Gate it is not very high.

Howbeit, the ground to the west and north is hilly as far
as Helena's^ sepulchre, which stands over against the Gate
of Benjamin, which looks upon the brook Cedron.

Beyond the brook Cedron, on the north side of the
Mount of Olives, there is another mount, which also is
very high, like the Mount of Olives. It is four stadia from
Jerusalem, and is where Solomon built a temple to
Chemosh, the idol of the Moabites. On it afterwards, in
the time of the Maccabees and Romans, a castle was built,
whereby the people of Jerusalem were greatly annoyed ;
traces of it are there at this day.^

These mountains are all near the city walls, yet not so
near that the city could be assailed from them by any
military engines.

Let this that has been said suffice about the position of
the city, its gates, and the mountains round about it. Let
us now return to the description of the remainder of the
land.

IX. Two leagues to the north-west of Jerusalem is
Mount Shiloh, now called St. Samuel's, the highest of all
the mountains in the Holy Land, for it overtops them alL

' The Queen of Adiabene.

- The tower Akra was built in Jerusalem, not on Olivet.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SI ON.

It is more than a league from Gibeah of Saul. Here for a
long time stood the Ark of the Lord and the Tabernacle
of the Covenant, which Moses made in the wilderness.^

A short league from thence is Gibeah, a city of Benjamin,
standing on the same mount, wherefore the chief of the
high places is said to have been there. The people of this
city sent envoys to Joshua at Gilgal, and made peace with
him by craft, pretending that they dwelt in a far country.^

Four leagues west of Jerusalem is Emmaus, where the
Lord walked with the two disciples as a stranger, and was
known to them in the breaking of bread. It is now called
Nicopolis.^

Three leagues west of Jerusalem, at the foot of Mount
Shiloh, is Beth-horon* the lower, which is mentioned in the
Book of Joshua,^ and in the first Book of Maccabees.^

Four leagues and a half west of Jerusalem, on the road
to Diospolis or Lydda, is Kirjath-jearim, which was one of
the cities of the Gibeonites, where the ark abode for twenty
years after it was taken into the country of the Philistines.
About west of Kirjath-jearim is Lachis, which also was one
of the cities of the Gibeonites, and was besieged by
Sennacherib in the days of Ezekiel.'^

Two leagues south, or thereabout, from Kirjath-jearim, is
the town of Beth-shemesh,^ which, to distinguish it from the
other which is in Naphtali, is called Beth-shemesh of Judah,
though as a matter of fact it was in the tribe of Dan.

1 St. Samuel (or Shiloh) is now JVeh' Samwil. The true site ot
Shiloh {Seilun) was lost.

^ Gibeah is for Gibeon,. now el Jib.

^ Emmaus Nicopolis i^Amwds) is not the Emmaus of the New
Testament.

^ Beth-horon the Lower is Beti ' Ur et Tahta.

^ Josh. xvi. 5, xvii. 13. ^ i Mace. vii. 39 el seg., ix. 50

These positions for Kirjath-jearim and Lachish (now 'Erma and
7>// el Hesy^ are incorrect, and it is doubtful where they are supposed
to have lain. *^ i Sam. vi. 12, 13.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

It was to the field belonging to this town that the two
milch kine from Ekron drew the Ark of the Lord when
they of Beth-shemesh^ were reaping their wheat harvest in
the valley, and seventy thousand of the people died because
they had seen the Ark of the Lord unveiled.

Ten leagues from Jerusalem is Ramathaim Zophim,^
which was partly in the tribe of Benjamin and partly in the
tribe of Ephraim ; it stands on Mount Ephraim, as that
plain is called, albeit it is not a mountain, but a plain. It
was called Arimathea, whence came Joseph, the honourable
counsellor,'^ who buried the Lord. The prophet Samuel
was born here and was buried here. At this day it is
called Ramula.

Three leagues west of Ramula is the city of Joppa, where
Jonah went on board ship to flee unto Tarshish, that is, to
the isles of the sea, from the presence of the Lord.

Below it is lamnia/ another port of Judaea, two leagues
to the south. Judas Maccabeus took this port and
burned it.

Two leagues south of Jerusalem is Bethlehem, the city
ennobled by the birth of the true David. It stands on the
left-hand side of the road that leads to Hebron, but a bow-
shot away from the road. Before this, however, one comes
to Rachel's sepulchre, on the right hand, by the roadside.
Over against Bethlehem is the tower of Edar, or of the
flocks, where Jacob is said to have sojourned and fed his
flocks for some time after Rachel's death.^ At this place
also the shepherds, keeping watch over their flock by night
at the hour of Christ's nativity,*^ saw and heard the angels

^ Beth-shemesh is placed correctly at 'Am Sheins.
Ramathaim Zophim was placed at Ra?nleh in the twelfth century.
Mark xv. 43.

* lamnia is Jamnia, now Yebnah, south of Joppa.
^ Cien. XXXV. 21.

^ The Shepherd's Field is placed (as now) east of Bethlehem.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SIGN.

singing ' Glory to God in the highest/ and announcing the
Saviour's birth.

Bethlehem stands upon a mount, which is tolerably high,
but narrow, stretching from east to west. It has a gate on
the west side, and there near the gate is the well from
which David longed to drink when he was besieged there.^

At the east end of this city, beneath a rock which stood
near the city wall, and, after the custom of that land, seems
to have been a place used as a stable, having a manger
hewn out of stone, as is the custom in those parts, Christ
Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, arose upon the world, born
of a virgin mother. By His choice of so foul a place to be
born in and arise from He showed that by His birth He
would take away all the foulness and darkness of the
world.

Near the aforesaid rock there is another larger one four
feet away from it, beneath which was the manger wherein
that sweet Babe when newly born was laid before the ox
and the ass, wrapped in swaddling clothes. But it seems
certain to me that there was at first only one rock, but a
doorway has been made through the midst of the rock,
through which one goes up into the choir out of this
chapel. One goes from the church into the place of the
most sweet Nativity down the steps, for reasons explained
above. This chapel is all lined w^ith mosaic work, paved
with marble, and most sumptuously built. Over the place
where the Blessed Virgin was delivered, Mass can be said
on a marble slab which is laid there. One also sees a piece
of the bare stone whereon Christ was born. In like manner
a part of the manger wherein Christ lay is left uncovered.
These places are kissed with the greatest devotion by the
faithful. I passed one night in these two places, kissing

^ The Well of Bethlehem is now shown at a cistern north of the
town.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

now the one and now the other. I have never seen or
heard anyone say that he had seen a holier church anywhere
in the whole world. Therein are four rows of pillars,
admirable not only for their number, but for their wondrous
size. Moreover, all the nave of the church above the
pillars, even to the roof, is of most beauteous and noble
mosaic work [wherein is set forth all history from the
creation of the world to the coming of the Lord to
judgment]. Likewise the whole church is paved with
marble of divers colours, adorned with paintings of all
history from the creation of the world to the coming of the
Lord to judgment, whose price it is thought by man could
not be estimated. One might write things passing belief
about the fabric of this church. The Saracens honour all
churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, but this one
above all. In this church I have seen a notable miracle.^
The Soldan, when he saw the exceeding precious ornaments
and slabs and pillars of this church, ordered them all to be
pulled down and taken to Babylon,^ wishing to build a
palace for himself with them. O miracle ! when the work-
men came with their tools, and the Soldan himself with
many others was standing by, out of the sound solid wall,
which it seemed that not even a needle could pierce, there
came a serpent of wondrous size, and gave a bite to the
first slab to which he came. The slab split across. He
did the like to a second, a third, and a fourth, even to the
thirtieth, and the same thing befell them all. All were
astonished. The Soldan himself straightway gave up his
intention, and the serpent vanished away. So the church
remained, and remains to this day, as before, yet some
traces of the serpent's body may be seen even to this day
on gach slab which he passed by, as though they had been

' Marino Sanuto, iii. xiv. ii, p. 53; Fabri, part i., p. 1598; and
Ludolph, p. 94, note. ^ Cairo.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

burned with fire. Above all, it seems a miracle that the
serpent should have been able to pass lengthways along
the wall, which is as smooth and polished as glass.

At the north door of this church there is the cloister of
a convent of monks, wherein is St. Jerome's cell, his bed, his
sepulchre, and the store-rooms of the convent of which we
read that St. Jerome was the head. On the south side of
the choir is shown a place where a great part of the
Innocents are said to have been slain and buried.

About a stone's-throw to the east of this church is the
Church of SS. Paula and Eustochium, and there also are
their sepulchres.

Half a league west of Bethlehem is a village called Bezek,
which abounds with excellent wine, so that there is no better
to be found in the land. The people of this village are all
Christians. They tend these vines and those of the neigh-
bouring villages down the Valley of Rephaim, even to the
brook Eshcol ;^ they have received from the Soldan the
privilege of dwelling there and tending them, and from
them they return a great revenue to the Soldan.

Six leagues east of Bethlehem, on the shore of the Dead
Sea, is Mount Engaddi, described above.

Three leagues south of Engaddi is the hill Achila,^
which afterwards, when Herod had built an impregnable
castle thereon, was called Masada.^ Here David is said to
have lain hid more than once when he fled from Saul.

Two leagues from Bethlehem in the direction of Achila
is the city of Tekoa, standing on a mountain. It was the
city of the prophet Amos, who was also buried there ;
whom Ahaziah, King of Jerusalem, struck by night through
his temples and slew him.

^ Numb. xiii. 24.

Achillas. See Marino Sanuto, p. 15, in this series.
3 The Hill Hachilah is here (wrongly) placed at Masada {SebbeJi).

Adjoining this city is the wilderness of Tekoa.

l^etween Tekoa and Engaddi lies the Valley^ of Berachah,^
where Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, fought with the
Idumaeans and the children of Ammon, and overthrew
them.

A league hence is a castle built by Herod the Great,
called Herodium/' standing on high ground. In it Herod
himself is buried, according to Josephus.

Five leagues south-east of Tekoa is the town of Ziph,*
near the wilderness of the same name, where we read that
David lay hid.^

Adjoining this on the south is the wilderness of Maon,^
wherein is Mount Carmel, where dwelt Nabal the Car-
melite, who sent away David's envoys.

Adjoining the wilderness of Maon, on the south, is the
land of Amalek. Over against a tongue of the Dead Sea
is Kadesh Barnea, whence Moses sent out twelve spies.

Three leagues south of Bethlehem on the road leading to
Hebron is Beth-haccerem, a village standing on high ground.
Adjoining it on the south is another village called Rama.'''
It is exceeding lofty. I have stood therein on a high hill
with many companions, and have seen the whole land of
Arabia even unto Mount Seir, all the places round about
the Dead Sea, and all David's lurking-places ; the Jordan
also even to Shittim^ and Mount Abarim. To the west-
ward I saw all the shore of the Mediterranean Sea from

1 The Valley of Beracbah is now Wddy Breikut^ south-west of
Tekoa.

- 2 Chron. xx. 26.

Herodium seems rightly placed at Jebel Fureidis.

Ziph is correctly placed at Tell Zif.
^ I Sam. xxiii. 15.

" Maon (Tell MaHti) and Carmel (^Kurmul) are correctly placed.
' Rama is Rdinet el Khalil. Beth-haccerem is doubtful. The
view described is quite impossible.
^ Numb. XXV. I.

Joppa to Gaza and Beersheba, even to the Wilderness of
Shur ; moreover, all the land of the Philistines from
Ramathaim Zophini past Gath, and Ekron and Ashdod
and lamnia and Ascalon, together with all the plain at the
foot of the hill country of Judaea.

More than a league from Rama, on the right hand, near
the King's highway that leads to Hebron, is Mamre, where
Abraham dwelt for a long time, and where, when he sat at
the door of his tent beside the oak of Mamre, he saw three
men standing near him, and so forth, as we read in Genesis.^
This oak-tree is shown at this day before the door of
Abraham's tent. Howbeit, the old tree is dead, but another
has sprung from its roots.-

Half a league from the oak of Mamre, on the right hand,
by the roadside, is Hebron, that ancient city, once called
Kirjath-arba, where David reigned for seven years. It
stands upon a right high and strong mount, but is
altogether destroyed. Its ruins are great, and it seems
to have been a noble city.

A bow-shot south of this city is New Hebron, built on
the place where was the double cave wherein Adam and
Eve, Abraham and Sara, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and
Leah, are buried. The Saracens have built an exceeding
strong fortress round about this double cave, within which
is the cathedral church. In its walls I have seen stones
measuring twenty-six, twenty-eight and thirty feet. I have
never seen so strong a place built on flat waterless ground.
I visited the tombs of the patriarchs there, and abode
there for one night.

A bow-shot west of the double cave is the Field of
Damascus, where Adam was formed from clay. As a

^ Gen. xviii. 1-3.

2 Abraham's oak was shown at the present site north-west of
Hebron.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

matter of fact, this field has exceeding red earth, which
can be moulded like wax. I took a great quantity thereof
away with me. So do the other pilgrims and Christians
who visit these places ; moreover, the Saracens carry this
earth on the backs of camels to Egypt, Ethiopia, India and
other places, and sell it for a very precious spice. ^ Yet
there seems to be only a small hole dug in the place. It is
said that at the end of the year, however big a hole may
have been dug, it is miraculously filled up again. I forgot
to inquire about the truth of this, but I can say this much,
that when I was there the hole was a small one, so that
four men could scarce have sat therein, and was not deeper
than up to my shoulders. It is said that no beast attacks
him who carries any of that earth, and that it saves a man
from falling. This valley over against Hebron is exceeding
fertile and fair. '

A bow-shot south of the place where the earth is dug is
the place where Cain slew his brother Abel. Also two
bow-shots west of where the earth is dug, on a hill by the
side of Hebron, is a cave in the rock, where Adam and
Eve mourned for their son Abel for a hundred years. In
the cave there are their beds at this day, and a fountain
springs up inside the cave, from which they drank.

Two leagues south of Hebron is Debir,^ or Kirjath-
sepher, that is, the city of letters, which Othniel, the son of
Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb, took, and he gave
him Achsah his daughter to wife.^

Two leagues north of Hebron is Neel Eshcol, which is,
being interpreted, the Brook of the Cluster, or the Vale of

^ Cf. Fetellus, p. lo, note. Sir John Maundeville, ch. vi., says :
' In that valley is a field where men draw out of the earth a thing
they call cambylle, which they eat instead of spice, and they carry it
to sell,'

^ Debir is perhaps correctly placed at edk Dhaheriyeh,
" Josh. XV. 15-17.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUXT SION.

Tears, from whence the spies brought the branch with one
cluster of grapes, and bare it between two upon a staff.^

Half a league to the left of this valley runs down the
brook wherein Philip baptized the eunuch. -

Four leagues toward Jerusalem from Neel Eshcol is the
house of Zacharia,^ into which the Blessed Virgin entered
and greeted Elizabeth. Here also St. John the Baptist
was born.

Two leagues north of this house is Nob/ a city of priests^
where Abimelech the priest gave David the sword of
Goliath of Gath.

More than a league from Bethlehem, on the road leading
to Tekoa, is the sepulchre of St. Karioth,^ the Abbot, with
all his monks, who all departed this life together with him.
Once crowds of people used to visit this place.

HERE BEGINNETH THE FIRST DIVISION OF THE
SOUTHERN QUARTER.

X. The first division of the southern quarter starts from
here like all the others. First, four leagues from Acre,
comes the city of Haifa, at the foot of Mount Carmel.

Three leagues south of Haifa is Pilgrims' Castle,*^ belong-
ing to the Knights Templars, the most strongly fortified of
all the places ever held by the Christians. It stands in the
deep sea, and is fenced with walls and outworks, and such
strong barbicans and towers that the whole world ought
not to be able to take it.^

^ Numb. xiii. 23.

2 Neel (for Nachal) Eshcol is placed near Philip's fountain ('Am
Hani7ia\ south-west of Jerusalem.

2 Zechariah's House is placed at ' Ain Kdrivi.
^ Nob is placed (wrongly) at Beit Nuba.

^ St. Karioth is the ruined monastery Khareitun (St. Chariton),
near Tekoa. ^' Ludolph, p. 65.

' It was built by the Templars 1 192, and taken by the Saracens
1291 A.D.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

A league from Haifa, on the left of the road to Pilgrims'
Castle, upon Mount Carmel, is Elijah's cave and Elisha's
dwelling and well, where the sons of the prophets dwelt,
and the Carmelite friars now dwell. I abode with them
there.

Five leagues from Pilgrims' Castle is Caesarea, the
metropolis of Palestine, which once was an Archbishop's
see. This place was first called Dor, and after that Pyrgos
Stratonis ; but Herod the Great rebuilt it, and named it
Caesarea. Josephus writes at length about its buildings
and defences. It is bounded on the west by the Mediter-
ranean Sea, and on the east by a deep fresh-water marsh
wherein is a multitude of crocodiles. At this place I fell
into very great danger, but the Lord of His mercy saved
me. The city has a strong position, but at this day is
altogether ruined.^ Philip and his daughters had a mansion
here. Here likewise Peter baptized Cornelius the centurion,
who was the first Bishop of Caesarea. Moreover, it was
here that Paul disputed with such eloquence against the
orator Tertullus, in the presence of King Agrippa and
Felix.

Three leagues south of Caesarea is a village called Assur;^
but once it was called Antipatris, after Antipater, Herod
the Great's father. This place belonged to the Knights
Hospitallers, who, albeit they have lost it, yet pay thirty-
eight thousand golden bezants a year to the Lord of Assur
and his heirs.

Four leagues east of Assur is Micmethah,^ now called

Chaco.^ It stands on the plain at the foot of Mount

' Sultan Bibars destroyed it in 1268.

2 Assur {Arsuf) was Apollonia, not Antipatris.

2 Josh. xvii. 7. Marino Sanuto, who follows Burchard, has on
his map Caco maiiatat. This, therefore, is the old spelling, which,
however, has been amended in later editions. Benjamin of Tudela
mentions the place, which he calls ' Kakun the Keila of Scripture.'

* Chaco {Kaknn) has no connection with Mictnethah, near She-

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SI ON.

Ephraim, not far from Mount Sharon. The Saracens have
placed a garrison of soldiers here to watch Pilgrims'
Castle.

Four leagues south of this is the town of Saron, men-
tioned in the Acts of the Apostles.^

It is eight leagues from Assur to Joppa, which stands on
the sea-shore, and is described above.

Four leagues from Joppa is Gath,^ which stands not far
from the sea, and was one of the cities of the Philistines.

Two leagues from Gath is Beth-shemesh of Judah, de-
scribed above.

Two leagues south of Beth-shemesh, in the hill country
of Judaea, one sees Mount Modin,^ where the Maccabees
were born. Their sepulchres are shown at this day even
from afar off ; for they can be seen from the sea, because
the place stands high.

Four leagues south of Beth-shemesh, not far from the
sea, is Ekron,^ the second of the five cities of the Philistines.
It is now a small village.

Four leagues south of Ekron is Ashdod, the third of
the five cities of the Philistines. It also is now a small
village.

Two leagues from Joppa is Lydda or Diospolis, described
above. Two leagues east of this is Libnah, which was
taken by Joshua^ and besieged by Sennacherib. Three

chem, or with Anathoth (east of Jerusalem), or Keilah (west of
Hebron). A mediaeval tower still exists at Kakun.
^ Acts ix. 35.

2 Gath is here placed, as in twelfth century, at Ibelin (Jamnia)
south of Jaffa. The true site was unknown.

3 Modin is placed, as in twelfth century (Benjamin of Tudela), at
Toron {Latrun), not at the true site, el Medyeh^ but this is north of
Beth Shemesh (MzVz Shcins).

* Ekron is at 'Akir, Ashdod at Esdtid, correctly placed.
^ Josh. X. 29, etc., xii. 15.

96 A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

leagues further, on the road to Gibeah, is the town of
Azekah, and Makkedah hard by it, both of which Joshua
took after he had relieved the Gibeonites. This is where
the five Kings hid themselves in the cave. Three leagues
to the east of this, not far from Nob, is Shochoh of Judah,
near the Valley of the Terebinth, ^ where the boy David
slew Goliath of Gath with his sling and his stone.

Three leagues from Nob is Emmaus, now called
Nicopolis.

A league and a half from Emmaus one goes up the
Valley of Rephaim, by the side of the house of Zacharia,
which travellers to Jerusalem leave on their left hands ;
and a league and a half from that house is a very strong
castle;- Bethsura,^ standing on a mountain side over against
Bezeth'^ (Bethsech) and Bethlehem.

Six leagues south of Ashdod is Ascalon, the fourth city
of the Philistines, standing on the sea-shore in the form of
a half-circle, and very strongly fortified.

Five leagues south of Ascalon is the city of Gaza, on the
sea-shore. It is now commonly called Gazara.^

Five leagues from Gaza is Beersheba, which now is
called Giblin, and is the border of Judaea and the Promised
Land to the south.

After these parts of the Promised Land which fell to the
lot of the tribe of Judah, comes the great wilderness, which
reaches even to the River of Egypt. In this wilderness the

^ The Valley of the Terebinth (Elah) was wrongly shown at Koldnia
— the head of the Valley of Sorek — a site still pointed out. Nob is
here Beit Nuba. The site of Shochoh is doubtful. The true site
SJurdjeikeh was further south in Wady es Sunt.
- The castle seems to be Belmont {Soba).

I Mace. iv. 6i.
* I Mace. vii. 19.
Gaza and Gazara. {Tell Jezar) were often confused in the twelfth
century.

children of Israel sojourned for a long time, moving about
from place to place.

Let what has been said suffice about the land and the
places therein.

THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF THE HOLY LAND.

XI. Now let me add an account of its length and breadth,
reckoned according to the best of my ability.

You must know, then, that the length of the Holy Land
begins at the foot of Mount Lebanon, where stands Caesarea
Philippi, and extends southward even to Beersheba in
Judaea, which is at the south. Its length and breadth,
where the twelve tribes dwelt, is not very extensive,
according to the best of my observation when I saw it
with my eyes, and walked over it with my feet. It
seems to me to be as large as I shall hereafter describe ;
but it is true that I only went a little way beyond Jordan,
and did not pass through the land of the two tribes and
the half-tribe, wherefore I do not set that down ; but it
seems to me that its length, which reaches from the head
of the Sea of Galilee on the north to the brook Arnon,
where it ends, is about forty-seven leagues. As for the
country of the ten tribes on this side of Jordan, Josephus
thus describes its length and breadth :

The tribe of Judah obtained the upper country, which in
length reaches from Egypt to Jerusalem, and is said to
contain twelve^ days' journey ; in breadth it reaches from
the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, a
distance of fifteen leagues.

The tribe of Simeon was given that part of the lot

1 In the text 'xii.' Laurent has altered it to ' ii.,' because otherwise
the final sum would not come right. But Josephus could not have
meant that Jerusalem was only two days' journey from Egypt.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

of the tribe of Judah which is near Egypt on Mount
Abarim.

The Benjamites got the land between Jordan and the
Mediterranean Sea, fifteen leagues in length ; its breadth,
from Jerusalem to Bethel, is four leagues.

The tribe of Ephraim got the land between the river
Jordan and Gadara, fifteen leagues in length ; and in breadth
as far as the great plain, where Galilee begins, thirteen
leagues.

The half-tribe of Manasseh on this side of Jordan had
its lot between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean
Sea, twelve leagues in length ; and in breadth as far as
Bethshan, five leagues.

The tribe of Issachar got Jordan and Carmel, eight
leagues in length ; and in breadth from Bethshan to Mount
Tabor, five leagues.

The tribe of Zabulon had from Carmel, near Mount
Cain, to Gennesareth, nine leagues in length ; and in
breadth from Mount Tabor across the valley of Carmelion,
five leagues.

The tribe of Asshur had all the country from Carmel to
Sidon, a space twenty leagues long ; and in breadth from
the Mediterranean Sea to Naason^ and Cabul, nine
leagues.

The tribe of Naphtali got the parts toward the east,
even to Damascus and Galilee, ten leagues long ; and
in breadth from the Sea of Galilee to Lebanon, seven
leagues.

The tribe of Dan got the valley toward the setting sun
near the Mediterranean Sea ; its boundaries were Ashdod
on the south, and Dora on the north. This was its length ;
I do not set down its measurement in breadth.

1 Tob. i. 2. The A.V. calls it Thisbe. See ' Dictionary of Bible,'
s.v.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

According to the above description of the whole of the
Holy Land on this side of Jordan, it nowhere seems to
measure more than forty leagues in breadth, that is,
between Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, from east to
west. In length, from north to south, it measures less than
ninety leagues, by my reckoning.

Lo, here you have a faithful description of the whole
land — its length, its breadth, and all that is therein. This
description, I think, is of no small use for reading the
historical books, and, indeed, the whole Bible, if it be under-
stood, and also for marking each single place, and knowing
all about them.

THE FRUITS AND BEASTS OF THE HOLY LAND.

XII. Now, you must know that, as a matter of fact, the
whole of the Holy Land was, and is at this day, the best of
all lands, albeit some who have not carefully regarded it
say the contrary. It is very fertile in corn, which is tilled
and grown with scarce any labour. The soil yields many
herbs. Fennel, sage, rue, and roses grow everywhere of
their own accord on the plains.

Cotton grows on certain shrubs, which are about as tall
as a man's knee, and are annuals. Their leaves are like
vine-leaves, but smaller. Upon them grow pods, wherein
is the cotton. They are gathered at Michaelmas.

Sugar-canes also grow there. These are like common
canes, but bigger. Within they are hollow, but full of a
porous substance like that which one finds in rods of elder-
wood. This substance is very moist. The canes are
gathered, cut in lengths of half a palm, and so are crushed
in the press. The juice squeezed out of them is boiled in
copper boilers, and, when thickened, is collected in baskets
made of slender twigs. Soon after this it becomes dry
and hard, and this is how sugar is made. Before it dries, a

lOO

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

liquor oozes from it, called honey of sugar, which is very-
delicious, and good for flavouring cakes. Moreover, they
cut the canes into pieces as long as a man's finger, but so
as to have a knot in the middle of each piece, for there are
many knots on a sugar-cane. They bury these pieces at
spring-time in damp ground, and from them new canes
grow, two out of each one, from either side of the knot.
This is how they plant them.

You must know that in this land one hardly ever finds
pears,, or apples, or cherries, as on this side of the sea.
Some fruits are brought from Damascus, but they are quite
soft, and cannot last long, because of the great heat v/hen
they are on the tree, and the warmth of the land.

Yet there are some fruits which remain on the trees all
the year round, and men eat them at all seasons of the
year. One finds on the trees at the same time both
blossom and half-ripe, ripe, and over-ripe fruit, so that
sometimes they have the four kinds of fruit all together.
This fruit is what are called oranges, and lemons, and
Adam's apples, from v/hich the natives make pickles to
eat with fowls, fish, and other food, and they make food
very palatable.

There is also the fruit called peach, whereof an exceeding
good preserve is made at Acre.

There is also another fruit, called apples of paradise,^ a
very fine fruit. It grows like a bunch of grapes, having
many grains. This bunch is sometimes as big as a good-
sized basket, and sometimes has sixty or more grains. These
grains are oblong in shape, sometimes six fingers long, and
as thick as a hen's egg. They have a thick rind, like the
pod of a bean, but of a delicate yellow colour. The rind
one throws away, but one takes out the fruit and eats it ;

^ Banana. Cf. Jacques de Vitry, Ixxxv., p. 1099, Bonjars ; Anon.,
p. 34 ; and Thietmar, ch. xxix.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

lOI

and its taste is very sweet, like fine butter and honey from
the comb. These grains have no seed in them, but are
eatable throughout. This fruit takes more than one year to
grow. The tree also lasts but a short time — two years at
the most — and then straightway withers ; but when it
begins to wither, another tree straightway sprouts from its
root, and does even as the former tree did. The leaves of
this tree are as long as the height of a man, and are so wide
that with two of them a man can cover his whole body.

There are many vines in the Holy Land, and there would
be more, but that the Saracens, who now hold the land,
drink no wine, except some of them in secret, and destroy
the vines, all save a few, perhaps, who dwell near Christians,
and grow them for profit, that they may sell them to
Christians. The wine of the Holy Land is very good and
noble, especially round about Bethlehem, in the Valley of
Rephaim, and so on, from whence the children of Israel
bore the branch on a staff. Good wine is grown round
about Sidon, and beyond it along Lebanon, and at
Antaradus and Margat, and all along that sea-coast, even
to Cilicia, Cappadocia, Greece, and Hungary. But I have
seen a wondrous thing at Antaradus, for there the natives
told me that from one and the same vine grapes are
gathered thrice in the year, in the following manner. In
spring-time the vine-dressers see when the vine has formed
as many bunches of grapes as each vine and each branch
usually does ; then they straightway cut off all that re-
mains of the branch beyond those bunches, and throw it
away. This is done in March. In April a new branch
sprouts from it with new bunches of grapes. When they
see this they again cut off all of the branch that reaches
beyond these bunches of grapes. In May the trunk puts
forth a third branch, with its bunches of grapes, and thus
they have three sets of grapes, which all grow alike ; but

i02

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

those which budded in March are gathered in August,
those which budded in April are gathered in September,
and those which budded in May are gathered in October.
Thus they have three vintages in one year.

Figs and pomegranates, honey and oil, and herbs of all
sorts, such as gourds and cucumbers, and many other fruits,
abound there.

Wild-boars, roes, hares, partridges, and quails are so
plentiful there that it is a wonder to see them. There are
many lions there, and bears, and divers kinds of wild
beasts ; moreover^ there are infinite numbers of camels and
dromedaries, stags, buffaloes, and, in short, there are therein
all the good things in the world, and the land flows with
milk and honey. But they who dwell therein I cannot call
brave men , but it contains the worst and basest sort of
sinners, so that it is wonderful that the land should endure
them.

THE VARIOUS RELIGIONS OF THE HOLY LAND.

XIII. There are dwelling therein men of every nation
under heaven, and each man follows his own rite, and, to
tell the truth, our own people, the Latins, are worse than
all the other people of the land. The reason of this, I
think, is that when any man has been a malefactor, as, for
example, a homicide, a robber, a thief, or an adulterer, he
crosses the sea as a penitent, or else because he fears for
his skin, and therefore dares not stay at home. Wherefore
men come thither from all parts — from Germany, Italy,
France, England, Spain, Hungary, and all other parts of
the world ; yet they do but change their climate, not their
mind -} for when they are there, after they have spent what
they brought with them, they have to earn some more, and
therefore return again to their vomit, and do worse than

1 Hor., Ep., i. xi. 27.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

103

they did before. They lodge pilgrims of their own nation
in their houses, and these men, if they know not how to
take care of themselves, trust them, and lose both their
property and their honour. They also breed children, who
imitate the crimes of their fathers, and thus bad fathers
beget sons worse than themselves, from whom descend
most vile grandchildren,^ who tread upon the holy places
with polluted feet. Hence it comes to pass that, because of
the sins of the dwellers in the land against God, the land
itself, and the place of our redemption, is brought into
contempt.

Besides the Latins there are many other races there ; for
example, the Saracens, who preach Mahomet and keep his
law. They call our Lord Jesus Christ the greatest of the
prophets, and confess that He was conceived of the Holy
Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. But they deny that
He suffered and was buried, but choose to say that He
ascended into heaven, and sitteth upon the right hand of
the Father, because they admit Him to be the Son of God.^
But they declare that Mahomet sits on His left hand.
They are very unclean, and have as many wives as they
can feed ; yet, nevertheless, they practise unnatural sins,
and have ephebiae^ in every city. Yet they are very hospit-
able, courteous and kindly.

Besides these there are the Syrians. The whole land is
full of these. They are Christians, but keep no faith with
the Latins. They are clothed most wretchedly, and are
stingy, giving no alms. They dwell among the Saracens,
and for the most part are their servants. In dress they are

1 Hon, Od., iii. 6, 46-48.

2 The Moslem religion was much better understood in the thirteenth
century than when the Crusaders first went to Palestine.

^ Cf. Marino Sanuto, book iii., part i., ch. xi. : ephebaeum, i.e.^
lupanar epheboruin.

I04

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

like the Saracens, except that they are distinguished from
them by a woollen girdle.

The Greeks in like manner are Christians, but schis-
matics, save that a great part of them returned to obedience
to the Church at a General Council^ held by our Lord
Gregory X. In the Greek Church all the prelates are
monks, and are men of exceeding austerity of life and
wondrous virtue.

The Greeks are exceeding devout, and for the most part
greatly honour and revere their Prelates. I have heard one
of their Patriarchs say in my presence : ' We would willingly
live in obedience to the Church of Rome, and venerate it ;
but I am much surprised at my being ranked below the
inferior clergy, such as Archbishops and Bishops. Some
Archbishops and Bishops wish to make me a Patriarch, kiss
their feet, and do them personal service, which I do not
hold myself bound to do, albeit I would willingly do so for
the Pope, but for no one else.'

There are also Armenians, Georgians, Nestorians,
Nubians, Jacobites, Chaldeans, Medes, Persians, Ethiopians,
Egyptians, and many other peoples who are Christians.
Of those there is an infinite number. Each of them have
their own Patriarch and obey him. Their prelates declare
that they would most willingly belong to the Church of
Rome. Of these the Nestorians, Jacobites, and the like are
so named after certain heretics who once were their chiefs.^

Moreover, there are in the Holy Land Midianites, who
now are called Bedouins and Turcomans, who apply them-
selves solely to feeding flocks and camels, of which they

1 Council held at Lyons in 1274, so that Burchard must have
written after that date.

2 Great efforts were made by the Popes in the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries to reconcile the Eastern sects, and especially in the thirteenth
to unite the Armenians, but very few except the Maronites were con-
verted.

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION. 105

have exceeding great numbers. These people have no fixed
dwellings, but wherever they learn that there is pasture,
thither they go and pitch their tents. They are exceeding
warlike, yet only use swords and lances in battle. They do
not use arrows, saying that it is base beyond measure to
steal away a man's life with an arrow. They are brave in
war, but wear only a red shirt, and over it a large flowing
mantle, covering their heads only with a cloth. All Syria
is full of them, but for the most part they dwell round
about the river Jordan, from Lebanon even to the
Wilderness of Paran, because there are mountains for
sheep and goats, and plains for cattle and camels. The
sheep in those parts, and especially the rams, are very big,
and have tails of such a size that one tail is as much as
three or four men can eat.

Round about the Castle of Arachas, beyond Tripoli, up
to the Castle of Krach,i dwell the Saracens called Vannini.^
Adjoining them are the Saracens called Assassins, who
dwell in the mountains beyond Antaradus near the Castle
of Margat. They have many castles and cities and a
fertile land, and are said to have forty thousand fighting
men. They have one chief, not by hereditary succession,
but by personal merit, who is called the Old Man of the
Mountains — not because of his age, but of his wisdom.
These people are said to be of Persian origin. I have
passed through a part of this country. They are obedient
even to death, and at their superior's bidding slay anyone
soever, and say that thereby they gain paradise, even if
they be slain before they have fulfilled their orders. A
few years ago they wished to become obedient to the
Church of Rome, and to this end sent an ambassador to
Acre, who transacted the negotiation to his complete

1 Krach des Chevaliers, now E/ Hosn, north-east of Tripoli.
^ Marino Sanuto, p. 6, calls them Vavini.

io6

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

satisfaction, but on his homeward journey was murdered
by his escort just before entering his own land, to the loss
of the Church as a body, because the others, when they
saw that Christians were not to be trusted, straightway
drew back. The boundary between these people's land
and that of the Christians is marked by some stones, on
which on the side of the Christians are carved crosses, and
on that of the Assassins knives. None of the Soldans
have hitherto been able to subdue them, but they make
their own laws and customs and follow them as they
choose. They are a terror to all the nations round about
because of their exceeding great fierceness.

Now, it must be noted as a matter of fact, albeit some,
who like to talk about what they have never seen, declare
the contrary, that the whole East beyond the Mediterranean
Sea, even unto India and Ethiopia, acknowledges and
preaches the name of Christ, save only the Saracens and
some Turcomans who dwell in Cappadocia, so that I
declare for certain, as I have myself seen and have heard
from others who knew, that always in every place and
kingdom, besides Egypt and Arabia, where Saracens and
other followers of Mahomet chiefly dwell, you will find
thirty Christians and more for one Saracen. But the truth
is that all the Christians beyond sea are Easterns by
nation, and albeit they are Christians, yet, as they are
not much practised in the use of arms, when they are
assailed by the Saracens, Turks, or any other people
soever, yield to them and buy peace and quiet by paying
tribute, and the Saracens, or other lords of the land, place
their bailiffs and tax-gatherers therein. Hence it arises
that their kingdom is said to belong to the Saracens,
whereas, as a matter of fact, all the people are Christians
save those bailiffs and tax-gatherers and their families, as
I have seen with my own eyes in Cilicia and Lesser

BY BURCHARD OF MOUNT SION.

107

Armenia, which is subject to the rule of the Tartars. I
lived for three weeks in the palace of the King of Armenia
and Cilicia, and there were a few Tartars at his Court ;
but all the rest of his household were Christians, to the
number of about two hundred. I used to see them frequent
the church, hear Masses, kneel and pray devoutly.^ More-
over, whenever any of them met me and my companion,
they did us great honour by taking off their hats and
respectfully bowing to us, greeting us, and rising up at
our approach. Many, too, are frightened when they are
told that in parts beyond seas there dwell Nestorians,
Jacobites, Maronites, Georgians, and other sects named
after heretics whom the Church has condemned, wherefore
these men are thought to be heretics, and to follow the
errors of those after whom they are called. This is by no
means true. God forbid ! But they are men of simple
and devout life ; yet I do not deny that there may be
fools among them, seeing that even the Church of Rome
itself is not free from fools. Now, all these aforesaid
nations, and many others whom it would take long to write
down, have Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, and other Pre-
lates, even as we ourselves, and call them by the same
names, all save the Nestorians, whose chief Prelate is
called laselich.^ He is their Pope, and I have learned
for certain that his jurisdiction reaches much farther in
the East than that of the entire Western Church. The
other Prelates of that sect, however, are called Archbishops
and Bishops like our own.

The chief Prelate of the Armenians^ and Georgians is

^ ' Hormenii sunt homines valde religiosi et optimi Christiani.' —
Wilbrand von Oldenburg, ch. xvii.

2 See Riccoldus de Monte Crucis, xx. 70, who says ' the Patriarch
of the Nestorians is called laselic, which is, being interpreted,
Universal'

^ Anon., p. 15, note.

io8

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

called the Catholicus. I stayed with him for fourteen
days, and he had with him many Archbishops and Bishops,
Abbots, and other Prelates. In his diet, his clothes, and
his way of life, he was so exemplary, that I have never
seen anyone, religious or secular, like him ; and I declare
of a truth that in my opinion all the clothes that he wore
were not worth five shillings sterling, and yet he had
exceeding strong castles and great revenues, and was rich
beyond any man's counting. He wore a coarse red sheep-
skin pelisse, very shabby and dirty, with wide sleeves, and
under it a gray tunic, very old, and almost worn out.
Above this he wore a black scapular, and a cheap rough
black mantle. I have seen the King of Armenia and Cilicia
with all his nobles sitting humbly and with the greatest
reverence at his feet, the King often having with him his
eldest son, and most devoutly hearing from him the Word
of God. He and all his prelates used to fast^ all Lent on
bread and water, and so did the King and all his nobles,
save on the Feast of the Annunciation, when in my pre-
sence the Catholicus allowed himself to eat some fish and
drink wine. On that day I heard a Mass in the presence
of the same Catholicus, and of the King and Queen. Their
ritual is an exceeding devout one : their priests and
Bishops are robed like ours. They use unleavened bread
in their Mass, and chant the Epistles, Gospels, and prefaces,
the Sanctus, Pater Noster, and Agnus Dei in the Mass, in the
same words that we do ; but in their own language and
letters, for they have a language and alphabet of their own.
The Catholicus and all the other Prelates are monks, and
throughout all the East no one of any nation can be a
Prelate unless he be a monk. All monks are greatly
revered and honoured. Clerks and priests have no
authority, neither do the laity pay any regard to them,

Jacques de Vitry, Ixxviii.

I09

and they have no duties save celebrating Divine service.
They mark all the canonical hours by beating a plank or
other piece of wood, because they have no bells. When
notice is given at night, they go to matins calling out to
the people as they go through the streets to come to
matins. After matins they do not go to sleep again, but
sit in church and teach the people until dawn, when they
say the first Mass, or till about the hour of tierce, if it be
a feast-day. They have no authority besides this, save
what is granted them by their vartabeds.^ All priests are
married, and no one is suffered to conduct service unless he
has a wife. They never celebrate Masses on Monday, nor
yet thenceforth till Friday, inclusively, however great a
feast may fall on those days, but are at liberty to con-
verse with their wives ; but on Saturday and Sunday they
celebrate Masses with great solemnity. After his wife's
death a priest must be continent, and not marry a second
wife. If he be guilty of fornication or adultery, he must
lose his church and his office ; nor can any dispensation
be made in his favour. If a priest^s wife be guilty of
adultery, he must either be continent, or he must lose his
office and his church, and his wife must lose her nose, and
her paramour be castrated, even though he be a married
man. This was done in my presence. When a priest
dies, his wife must be continent. If she marries again,
she shall be burned alive ; but if she becomes a courtesan,
no harm is done to her. And they have a new command-
ment among them, that a priest, like the Apostle, should
have a virgin to wife. The Armenian and Georgian
priests are distinguished from the laity by a white linen
cloth, which they wrap round their neck and shoulders.

Thieves who are guilty of petty thefts, or other evil-
doers who commit the lesser sorts of crime, are castrated,
that they may not beget children to imitate their fathers'
^ Uerhabite. The Vaitabeds are celibate or widowed priests.

no A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND,

misdeeds. This seems to me to be one reason why there
are so many courtesans there, for there are many eunuchs
there, and all of them are in the service of noble ladies.
I believe that the Queen of Armenia had more than forty
eunuchs when I was at her palace. No man visits her save
by the King's special leave, and the King assigns to him
some eunuch by name to show him in. So likewise is
the custom with all noble ladies, both widows and married.

All the Kings, Princes, and nobles are most willing to
hear the Word of God ; wherefore every day at the hour of
tierce^ some doctors or monks go to the Court of every King
or Prince. The Princes or lords straightway come them-
selves together with their children and their great men. Some
book of Scripture is brought, and is read in their presence
in the vulgar tongue, for they know no other. The monk
expounds the text to them, and whenever the laymen feel
doubts and raise questions, the monks instruct them accord-
ing to the words of the saints. I have questioned these
monks as to which doctors they chiefly follow, and they
replied that their chief authorities were John Chrysostom,
Gregory Nazianzen, and Cyril of Alexandria. Both clergy
and laity are very devout in church, and never do anything
there but pray or sing or do whatever else ought to be
done there. I never saw anyone laugh or behave himself
unseemly in church.

The Office of the Mass is devoutly performed in their
church. The cup is placed on the left hand of the altar in
a place made for the purpose in the wall. At the offertory
prayer the deacon, wearing a precious silk cloth, reverently
raises it above his head. With a subdeacon carrying the
thurible, and two acolytes carrying candles walking before
him, they circle round behind the altar to the right-hand
side thereof, and then the Bishop reverently takes it and
offers it, even as our priests do. Two stand with lighted
^ Circa 3 a.m. hora.

BY BURG HARD OF MOUNT SION.

Ill

candles behind the priest while the canon of the Mass is
being read, and near them two with thuribles, wearing albs.
Two deacons stand on the right and left hand sides of the
altar, praying devoutly with joined hands, their faces
turned to the Body of Christ, singing a sweet and pious
melody and answering one another. Indeed, it is a most
holy thing to see and hear.

I have seen many other very commendable practices in
that land, both among laymen, clerks, and monks, which
in our land would scarce be believed to be done.

I have travelled over the whole of this land, even to
Cappadocia and Seleucia by the sea, and have sailed thence
to Cyprus, and wandered over the greater part thereof.
Thence I sailed to Syria and came to Tyre, and some days
afterwards, sailing along the coast of Palestine or Philistia, I
passed by Haifa, Mount Carmel, Dora, Caesarea of
Palestine, Antipatris, Joppa, lamnia, Ekron, Ashdod,
Ascalon, Gaza, and the whole sandy desert even to the
mouths of the river Nile. Thence I came to Damietta,
which of old was called Memphis. This is the land of
Goshen, wherein the children of Israel sojourned of old,
serving Pharaoh in mortar and in brick. ^ In this land also
Jeremiah was afterwards stoned.^

Blessed be God and St. Matthew. Amen.

1 Exod. i. 14.

2 In this passage Burchard speaks of his voyage down the coast.
He also visited Hebron, it would appear, and speaks of Samaria from
personal knowledge. If the account was written about 1280 the only
part of Palestine then in the hands of the Christians was the seashore
from Tyre to Chateau Pelerin, and Carmel with the low hills East of
Acre ; but by agreement with Egypt pilgrims were allowed to visit
Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. The country east of Jordan
was unknown, and the account is specially deficient in this part
which never was recovered after 11 87, when conquered by Saladin,
The border line was laid down by treaty with Egypt in 1282 A.D., as
above described, ten years before the final loss of Acre and of all
Palestine by the Christians.

BURCHARD OF MOUxNT SIGN'S
ITINERARY.

EXPLANATION OF ABBREVIATIONS.

A is the Antwerp edition of 1536, which is worth all the editions of

the second class.
B is the Berne MS.
C is Canisius's edition of 1725.
St is Staphorst's Hamburg MS.
\a is the first Wratislaw MS.

„ second „ ,,
\c „ third „ „
Vr stands for the three Wratislaw MSS.
V is the Venetian edition of 15 18.

Note. — Burchard's league means an hour's march. The hours
spoken of by Van de Velde, Robinson, and others are hours on horse-
back, but Burchard did his leagues on foot ; they are the German
stunden. Arabic place-names are written English fashion.

Chapter I.

Page.

Names of Places.

Leagues.

Various Readings.

8
9
9

Acre ('Akka) _
Cayphas (Haifa)i
Petra Incisa (Dustrey)

4
3

1 Ludolph, p. 65.

114

ITINERARY,

Chapter II.

Names of Places.

Leagues.

Various Readings.

Acre ('Akka) j
Casale Lamberti (Hamsin) i
Scandalion (Iskanderuneh)

The Well of Living

Waters (Ras el'Ain)
Tyre

Eleutherus(conf jsed with
the modern river Kasi-
miyeh)

Sarepta of the Sidonians
(Surafend)

Sidon (Saida)

Beyrout (Beirut)

Biblium (Jebeil)

Botrum (Batrun)
Nephin

Tripolis (Trablus)

The Mount of Leopards
Arachas (Arka)
Syn or Synochim
Antaradus (Tartus)
Margat (Markab)
Valania (Banias)

3 1. (V^, v)

I German mile

(A)

2 miles {Yd)

61. and 2 miles

than I

(C)

less

half a German

than I

mile (A)

2 1. (Vr)

3I. (A), 4].(V^,

V^)

3 1. (A)

5 (St)

9 1. (Vr)

9 mil. (Vr, C)

6 1. (A)

9 mil. (Vr)

3I. (A)

8
7

Chapter III.

Acre ('Akka)

Montfort (Kul'at el Kurein)

4 mil. (V<5)

Toron (Tibnin)

Razor

3 1- (V^)

Belinas (Banias)

Sidon (Saida)

about
1 1

10 1. (v)

ITINERARY.

115

Chapter IV.

Page.

Variou** Readings.

Acre ('Akka)

Judin (Jiddin)

Castellum Regium (M'alia)

I 1. (A and v)

Vallev of Zaanaim

Kabul

3 1. (A and v)

Sephet (confused with

3 1- (A)

Bethulia) Safed

Mensa Domini (the

3 1. (A)

Lord's Table)

Capernaum (Tell Hum)

—

Chapter V.

Acre ('Akka)

St. George (El B'aneh)

5 mil. (Vr, C)

Naason

2 1.

Neptalim

3 1. (A)

Bethsaida (Sheikh Sei-

3 1. (A and v)

yad)

Magdalum (el Mejdel)

\ 1 CA)

Bethulia (Safed)

Chapter VI.

Acre ('Akka)

Cana of Galilee (Kana)

5 1. (v)

Ruma (el Mesh-hed)

4 1. (v)

Abelmehola

■i

Mount Bethulia (Safed)

than I

Tiberias

6 1. (Vr), 1 1. (A)

than 2

Sepphora (Seffurieh)

3 1. (v)

Nazareth

3 1. (A)

Nairn (Nain)

3 1- (B)

ii6

ITINERARY.

Chapter VII.

Page.

44
45
45

47
47
47
48

49
50
52

53
54
54
55
55
55

Acre ('Akka)
Carmel

Caymon (Tell Keimun)
Megiddo (Ezbuba)

Mesrha (el Mezra'ah)

Castellum Fabae (el

Fuleh)
Aphek (el 'Afuleh)

Shunem (Sulem)
Bethsan (Beisan)
Fountain of Jezreel
Jezreel (Zer'in)

Engannim (Jenin)
Samaria (Sebustieh)
Bethel (Beitin)

Sichem (Nablus)
Lebonah (Khan Lubban)
Michmash (Mukhmas)
Gibeah of Saul
Rama (Nebi Samwil)
Jerusalem

4
3
3

more
than 2
I

3 bow-
shots
I
2
2

2 bow-
shots
4
4

■ 2

1.
2

4
5
I
I
2

4 1. (C)

6 1. (A, B, v), 8 1.

(Vr)
3 1. (V^)

2 1. (Vd)

II 1. (A)

4 1- (C, Vr)
i 1. (C, Vr)

3l.(B),5l.(Vr)

5 1. (v)

3l.(A, B, C, Vr,
and v)

4 I. (A), 61. (V^)
3 1. (V^, V)

Chapter VIII.

Sichem (Nablus)

5 5

Emon

Phesech^ ('Ain Fusail)

Docus ('Ain Duk)

Gilgal

Ai (et Tell)

Bethel (Beitin)

Anathoth ('Anata)

Jerusalem

4l.(B)
2 1. (V^)

^ Phasaelis in Marino Sanuto's map.

ITINERARY.

117

Chapter IX.

Page.

Names of Places.

Leagues.

Various Readings.

Jerusalem

Ramathaim Zophim

(Ramleh)

Joppa (Yafa)

Jamnia (Yebna)

Chapter X.

Jerusalem
87 Bethlehem (Beit Lahm)
89 ' Mount Engaddi ('Ain Jidy)
89 I Achila^ (Sebbeh)

3 1- (A)

7 1(B)

Chapter XI.

H^iifa (Haifa)

93 Pilgrims' Castle ('Athlit)

94 Caesarea of Palestine

(Kaisariyeh)

94 Assur (Arsiif)

95 Jf^ppa (Yafa)

95 Gath (Yebnah)

95 Bethshemesh of Judah

('Ain Shems)
95 Ekron ('Akir)

95 Ashdod (Esdud)

96 Ascalon ('Askalan)

96 Beersheba (Beit Jibrin)

4 (A and v)
9 1. (A), 2 1. (v)

4 1. (A and v)
I 1. (A)

Chapter XII.

Joppa (Yafa)

Lydda (Ludd)

Lebna (for Libnah)

4 1- (A)

Azeca

Succoth (Shuweikeh)

^ Marino Sanuto, p. 12.

Ii8

ITINERARY.

Chapter XIII.

Distances from Jerusalem.

Page.

Names of Places.

Leagues.

Various Readings.

Rama (er Ram ?)

1 1 (Vh and \\

Anathoth (Anata ?)

Acre ('Akka)

^8 1. (C), ^1. M

Samaria (Sebustieh)

17 1 CV^)

Sichem (Nablus)

8 1. (A)

Nazareth (en Nasrah)

27 1. (A B, C,

V t/, V ^

17 1. (C)

^6 I. (Vr)

Joppa

13?

8 1. (A),23l.(v)

Jericho (Er Riha)

Bethlehem

3 1- (B, C, Vr)

Tekoa (Teku'a)

4l.(B, C,Vr,v)

Hebron

Shiloh (Neby Samwil)

4 1. (Cf

Emmaus

10 1. (A),3l.(B,

C, Vr)

Lower Bethoron

2 I. (A)

Kirjath-jearim

4i (A, V)

Ramathaim - Zophim

(Ramleh)

Bethlehem

ITINERARY.

119

DISTANCES OF PLACES MENTIONED IN THE TEXT.

Page.

From

Leagues.

Various
Readings.

Sidon (Saida)

Antilibanus

li (C, Vr)

Beyrout (Beirut)

The Dog's Pass
Nahr el Kelb

Tripoli (Trablus)

Lebanon

Mount of Leo-

Libanus

pards

Aradium (Jeziret er
Ruad)

T)re (Sur)

5 days'
journey

—

Antaradus (Tartus)

Four P\ramids

—

Antaradus (Tartus)

The Mountains of

the Assassins

—

2 I

Valania (Banias)

Acre ('Akka)

8 d. j.

Valania (Banias)

Antioch

4 d- j.

-3

Kedar (el Hosn)

The mouth of the

Jordan

—

Sephet (Safed)

Kadesh - Naphtali
(Kedes)

Caperriaum (Tell
Hum)

Mouth of Jordan

Chorazin (Khersa;

The going up to
Mount Sanyr

Kedar (el Hosn)

Mouth of Jordan

Kadesh - Naphtali
(Kedes)

Mouth of Jordan

Sueta

Chorazin

Kedar (el Hosn)

10 1. (v)

Naason

Dothan (Khan
Jubb (Yusef)

2 1. (Vr)

Dothan

Mount Bethulia

Ramathaim - Zo-

Samaria

I day's

phim

journey

Dothan

Naphtali

—

Sepphora (Seffu-

Cana of Galilee

rieh)

(Kana)

—

Nazareth

Acre

Nazareth

The Lord's Leap

4 bow-

shots

Nazareth

Tabor

3 1. (C, Vr)

Tabor

Endor (Andur)

Ramathaim - Zo-

about

phim (Ramleh)

2 days'
journey

Nazareth

Little Hill of Her-
mon

Tabor

Little Hill of Her-
mon

more
than a
league

I20

ITINERARY.

Page.

From.

To.

Leagues.

Various
Readings.

Haifa

Mouth of Kishon

Acre

Mesrha(el Mezr'ah)

Mount Hermon

2 -1. (Yd)

Jezreel (Zerin)

Shunem (Sulem)

Sebaste (Sebustieh)

Tirzah

3l..(A,B,C,

Vr, v)

Tirzah

Land of Tappuah

5 1. fB, Yd)

J J

Sichem

Jacob's Well

2 bow-

shots

Gilgal

Mount Quaran-

1
2

tena

Quarantena (Jebel

Mount of the Temp-

■2

2 1. (\)

Kuruntul)

tation

Quarantena

Elisha's Fountain

2 bow-

(Ras el 'Ain)

shots

Gilgal

Valley of Achan

I
2

Gilgal

Jericho (er Riha)

Jericho

St. John or Jordan

(Kusr el Yehud)

Jericho

Beth-hoglah (Kusr

Haila)

Jericho

Dead Sea

-2
J

Dead Sea

St. John's Chapel

Jericho

Zoar (Zuweirah)

c
J

Elisha's Fountain

Ai (et Tell)

-}
J

2 1. (Vd)

Bethel CBeitin)

Deborah's Palm-

tree ('Attarah)

Jericho

Adummim (Tal'at

ed Dumm)

Adummim

Bahurim

I 1. (A)

Bahurim

Bethany

2 bow-

I bowshot

shots

85
"J

Mount Shiloh (Nebi

Gibeah of Saul

(V^)

Samwil)

(Jeb'a)

Gibeah of Saul

Little Gibeon (el

Tib)

Kirjath-jeariiti (un-

Lachish (uncei tain)

certain)

Kirjath-jearim (un-

Beth - shemesh of

2 ■

3 1- (B)

certain)

Judah ('Ain

Shems)

Bethlehem

Bezek

Bethlehem

Tekoa (Teku'a)

Valley of Berachah

Herodium (Jebel

(Wady Breikui)

P'ureidis)

Tekoa (Teku'a)

Ziph (Tell Zif)

2 1. (A)

Bethlehem

Beth-haccerem

4 1. (C, Vr)

121

From.

Rama

Oak of Mamre

Old Hebron

Hebron
Hebron

Philip's Fountain
('Ain Haniiia)

House of Zacharia
(Mar Zakaria)

Bethlehem

Haifa

Assur (Arsuf)
Bethshemesh ('Ain

Shems)
Nob (Beit Nuba)
House of Zacharia
House of Zacharia

To.

Leagues.

Various
Readings

Mamre

2 1. (A and

than a

league

Old Hebron

(A and v)

M. Sanuto

New Hebron

I bow-

3 bowshots

shot

Debir

3 1. (A)

Neel-eshcol

3 1. (A ana

Neel-eshcol

8 1. (A), 6 1.

Nob (Beit Nuba)

3l.(Aandv)

St. Karioth's Sepul-

more than

chre

I 1. (v)

Elisha's Cave

lil. (A)

Michmethah^

Mount Modin

6 1. (A and

(v)

Emmaus

Beihsura (Beit Sur)

3 1. (A)

1 Michmeihah, now called Chaco. Marino Sanuto has in his map
Chaco manatat. This, therefore, is the old reading, which, neverthe-
less, the editor of the Venetian edition thought proper to emend.
Chaco is the modern Kakun, found by Ritter, xvi. 714, Laurent. In
the 'Survey of Western Palestine' (sheet 11 Jm, 183), art. ' Kakon,' I
find ' The small castle whose ruins are still standing at Kakon is men-
tioned by Burchard, who identifies it with Michmethah (Josh. xvi. 5,6 ;
xvii. 7), and says that it was built by the Saracens " contra Castrum
Peregrinorum." Ricold (thirteenth century) mentions it as a castle
twenty miles from Athlit. Michmethah belonged to Ephraim and
Manasseh.' — A.S.

INDEX.

Abarim, Mt., 38, 56, 98 ; visible

from Jerusalem, 78
Abel-mehola, 39, 40
Abishag, 47

Abraham, 3 ; his oak, 91
Aceldama, 74, 84 ; gate leading to,
82

Achan, 57
Achila, the hill, 89
Achor, Valley of, 57
Acra, rock, 57

Acre, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 21, 31, 38, 44,
93 ; bishop of, 12 ; Jerusalem
thirty -six leagues from, 65;
peaches preserved at, 100

Adiabene, Tomb of Oueen of, 74,
84

Adrian, 80

Adummim, Castle of, 63
Aenon, where John baptized, 49
Ahab, King of Israel, 46, 48, 52
Ahaz, 70

Ahaziah, King of Judah, 45, 89
Aholibamah, Esau's wife, 37
Ai, 3, 57, 60

A in Duk (Docus) north of Jericho,
56

,, EyzU (En Rogel), 75
„ Hanhia^ 93

„ Jaliid (the fountain which is

in Jezreel), 47
„ Sheins (Beth - shemesh of
Judah), 95
Ain et Tabghah^ 28
'Akir, 95
Akra Tower, 84
Albanians (of the Caucasus), i
Alexander the Great, 10, 11

Alps, the, 25
Ammon, 7, 25, 30, 58
Amos, the prophet, 89
Ainwas (Emmaus), 85
Anathoth {A?tdta), 62 ; Cedron

flows from, 74 ; road to, from

Jerusalem, 81
Andrew, St., city of, 34
Anne, St., church at Jerusalem,

Annunciation, the, 3, 29
Antaradus, 6, 18-20; wine made
at, loi

Antilibanus, end of, 17 ; fertile
valleys in, 25, 26; mountain, 14

Antioch, 6, 2 1 ; patriarchate of, 1 5 ;
prince of, 16 ; principality of, 21

Antipater, Herod's father, 38, 94

Antipatris, 52 ; Burchard sailed
past. III

Antony's Tower, 80

Apamea, 6

Aphek, city, 46

Apollonius, I

Apple of Paradise, 100

Arabia, 5, 58, 68 ; visible from
Jerusalem, 78 ; the whole land
of, visible from Rama, 90

Arabian Gulf, 5

Arabias, the, 7, 8

Arachas (^Arkah), 25 ; Bishop of,
21 ; castle of, 17, i8, 105

Aracheus, son of Canaan, 17, 18

Aradium, 18, 19

Aram, 30

Arcopolis, 58

Ard es Suweidah^ 23

Arimathea, 86

Armenia, Greater and Lesser, 2 ;

124

INDEX.

account of the court, land, and
religion of Lesser Armenia, 107-
III

Armenians, 16 ; their religion, 104,
106- II I

Arnon, the brook, 7, 25, 58 ; land
of the two tribes and the half-
tribe ends at the, 97

Ar, city, 7, 58

Arvad (Aradium), 19

Ascalon, 37, 96 ; Herod of, 88 ;
Burchard sailed past, ill ;
visible from Rama, 91

Ashdod, 37, 95, 96; Burchard
sailed past, 1 1 1 ; border of Dan,
98 ; visible from Rama, 91

Asphalt, Lake of, 58, 60

Assassins, land of, 19, 20, 105, 106

Asshur, lot of the tribe of, 9, 42,
98

Assur (Arsuf) Apollonia, 94, 95
Augustine, St., 29
Azekah, 96
e/ Azeriyeh, 64

Baalbec, 19
Baal-gad, 13
Babylonia, the true, 5
Bacharites, name of the Saracens
who dwell near the Dog's Pass,

Bahurim, 63

Bakar, Valley of, 41

Balaam, 58

Baldwin L, 7, 10

Balsam, garden of, 62

Bananas, 100

el B\i?ieh, 31

Banids^ near Margat, 20

Basan, Og, King of, 25

Bashan, kingdom of, 7, 23, 31, 34

Bathing-pool of Siloam, 70

Baths, hot, at Tiberias, 40

Batriln (Botrus), 1 5

Beautiful Gate of the Temple, 82

Bedouins, 18, 104, 105

Beersheba, 3, 4, 22 {Beit Jibrin)^

36, 96 (Giblin) ; visible from

Rama. 91
Beisdn (Bethshan), 47
Beit Jibrhi, Beersheba, 22
Beit ' Uret Tahta (Beth-horon the

nelher), 85

Belfort, castle, 13

Belinas (Dan), 22, 23, 25, 53

Belmont {Soba)^ 96

Belvoir, castle, 43

Benjamin, lot of the tribe of, 5, 55,
61,81,98 ; Bahurim in the tribe
of, 63 ; gate of, at Jerusalem, 81,
84

Beon (Bohan), stone of, 63

Berytus, Bishop of, 12

Bethany, 64 ; road from Jerusalem

to, 74*; road leading to, through

the Golden Gate, 82 ; through

the Valley Gate, 82
Bethel, 3, 52, 57, 61, 62 (Beitin),

98 ; road to, from Jerusalem, 81
Beth-haccerem, 90
Beth-hoglah, 58

Beth-horon the nether, 85 ; on
road from Old Gate, 81

Bethlehem, description of, 86^- 89;
over against Bezeth, 96 ; road tp
from Gate of Merchants at
Jerusalem, 80 ; two leagues from
Jerusalem, 65 ; wine made at,
loi

Bethphage, 64
Beth-rehob, 22, 41
Bethsaida {Sheikh Seiydd), 34,
41

Bethshan, 7, 38, 41, 47; on the
border of Issachar, 98 ; on the
border of the half- tribe of
Manasseh, 98

Bethshemesh of Juda ('Ain
Shems), 85, 86, 95

Bethsura, castle, 91

Bethulia, 28, 34, 39, 40 ; Mount,

32, 33

Beyrout, 6, 12, 15

Bezek, near Bethlehem, 89

Bezeth (Bethsech), near Bethle-
hem, 96

Biblium (Gebal,//<^^//), 15

Bildad the Shuhite, 30

Bireh, 54

Birket er Rdvi (Phiale), 23
Birket es Sultdn^ 67, 70
Birket Mamilla^ 69, 70
Bitumen, 58, 60
Bosra, 7
Bostrum, 7
Botrus {Batrihi), 15
Buzra, city of, 24

INDEX.

125

Brachmans, i

Bicka'ah, valley in Code Syria, 41
Buzereth, 7

Cabul, 31, 41 ; border of Asshur,

98. See Kabul
Cadesh Naphtali, 27
Caesarea of Palestine, 7, 52, 94 ;

Burchard sailed past, in
Caesarea Philippi, 14. 17, 41, 53,

97 ; why so called. 22
Caiaphas, house of, 78
Cain, Mount, 45 ; is the border of

Zabulon, 98
Calvary, Mount, 76, 80
Cambylle, 92

Camel, the hill so called (Kedar),
30

Cana of Galilee, 38, 39, 41
Canaan, son of Ham, his sons, 37 ;

his tomb, 17
Canaanites, families of the, 19
Capernaum, 6, 23, 28, 29, 31 ;

called Julia by Josephus, 41
Cappadocia visited by Burchard,

III; wine made in, loi
Carmel, Mount, 6, 9, 46, 47, 49, 52,

93, 94 ; (Carmelion), 39; boraer

of Asshur, 98 ; of Issachar, 98 ;

of Zabulon, 98 ; Burchard sailed

past, III
Carmel where Nabal dwelt, 96
Carmelion, 39 ; valley, 42 ; valley

is the border of Zabulon, 98
Carmelite Friars, 94
Casale Lamberti, 19
Castagneau (fish), 28
Castellum Fabae (bean castle), 46
Castellum of Martha and Mary, 64
Castle of Adummim, 63

„ Arachas. 17, 18, 105
„ Belfort(Kalates Shakif),
13

„ Belmont, 96

„ Btlvoir, 43

„ Bethsura, 96

„ Docus, 56

„ Faba (bean castle), 46

„ Herod the Great, 90

Judin, 26
„ King's, 26
„ Krach (des Chevaliers,
KuHat el Hosji), 18,
105

Castle of Krach (Montreal), 7, 38,
58

„ built by Maccabees and
Romans near Olivet,
84

„ Margat, 14, 20, 105 .
„ Mary Magdalen (Mej-
del), 34

„ Mont tort {KnPaf el

Kurein)^ 21
., Nephin {Rds esh

S/iakkah), 16
„ Pilgrims' (Chateau Pele-

rin), 7. 9, 93-95, m
„ the Pisans, 68
„ Scandalium, lo
„ Sephet, 27, 31, 32, 55
„ above the town of

Sephora, 41
„ on Mount Tabor, 43
Toron, 21
Catholicus, the Armenian, 108
Caucasus, i

Cave where Adam and Eve

mourned for Abel, 92
Caymon ( Tell Keimfln), 45
Cedron brook, 67, 69, 72, 74, 81,

82, 84
Chaco [Kakim), 94
Chaldaea, 3, 5
Chaldaeans, 104

Chapel at the way into the church
of B. V. M. in Jehosha-
phat, 73
„ of the Invention of the
Cross, 77
of St. John Baptist on
Jordan, 57, 58
„ at Lazarus's tomb, 64
„ of St. Pelagia, 83
Chariton, St. {Khareililn), 93
Charles, King of Sicily, 9
Cherith, brook, 56
Chinnereth, 28
Chorazin, 23, 29, 41
Chrysostom, St. John, no
Church, St. Anne's, 70
„ The Ascension, 83
„ at Bethlehem, 87, 88
„ of B.V. M.'s sepulchre, 72,
73, 75

„ of Gethsemane, 73
„ of Golgotha, 75
„ at Hebron, 91

126

INDEX.

Church of Holy Sepulchre, 65, 75
„ called the House of Bread

(Pater noster), 83
„ of Nativity at Bethlehem,

„ on Mount Sion, 76

„ of SS. Paula and Eusto-

chium, 89
„ built by St. Peter at
Antaradiis, 90

Churches at Sebaste dedicated to
St. John the Baptist, 50

Cilicia, 106 ; wine made in, loi

Cleopatra, 62

Coele Syria, 6

Coenaciduni grande^ 78

Columns, marble, at Sebaste, 51

Coracinus, fish, 28

Corner, Gate of the, 81

Cotton, 99

County of Tripoli, borders of, 15,
21

Crocodiles, 94
Crypts, holy places in, 39
Cyprus, visited by Burchard, in
Cyril of Alexandria, 58, no

Dabbils el Abd, 63
Dalmanutha, 23

Damascus, 6, 7, 25, 31, 35, 43 ;

fruits of, ICQ ; border of Naph-

tali, 98 ; Syria of, 6
Damielta, visited by Burchard,

III

Dan (to Beersheba), 4 ; (Belinas),
22, 53 ; lot of the tribe of, 85, 98

David, city of, 67, 80 ; gate of, 80 ;
tomb on Mount Sion, 80; tower
of, 66, 67, 70, 78, 80

Dead Sea, 4, 6, 8, 36, 38, 49, 58,
62 ; description of, 59 ; border
of Judah, 47 ; fruit, 63 ; a
tongue of the, 90 ; visible from
Jerusalem, 68, 79

Deborah's palm-tree, 62

Debir {edh Dhahertyeh)^ 92

Decaptnis, 31 ; boundaries of, 41

Demetrius, King, 13

edh Dhahertyeh, 92

Diocletian, 12

Diospolis, or Lydda, 95 ; the way
to, 85 ; a road from the Fish
Gate at Jerusalem leads to, 80

Divisions, Burchard's, of the Holy

Land, 4, 8
Docus, castle, 56
Dog's Pass, 15, 41
Dor, 94

Dora, border of Dan, 98 ; Bur-
chard sailed past, in
Dothan, 28, 32, 33, 40
Dragon's Well, 73 ; Gate of the,

Dung Gate, 68, 8i, 82
E.

Ebal, Mount, 53
Ecclesiastical History, the, 112
Edissa, 6
Edom, 31, 35

Egypt, I, 33, 49 ; river of, 96 ;
road to, from Gate of Mer-
chants at Jerusalem, 80; St.
Mary of, 78

Egyptians, religion of the, 104

Ekron, ark drawn from, 86 ;
Burchard sailed past, iii;
stands four leagues south of
Bethshemesh, 95 ; visible from
Ramah, 91

Elah (Valley of Terebinth), 96

Eleutherus, river, 13, 14

Elijah, 9, 13, 22 ; his cave on
Carmel, 94

Elisha, 33; his birthplace, 40;
the fountain whose waters he
healed, 57, 89 ; his way from
Carmel to Gilgal through
Shunem, 47 ; his tomb at
Samaria, 50

Emmaus (Nicopolis), 85, 96

Emon (Chephar-haamonai), 55, 56

Endor, village of, 43, 44

Engaddi, Mount, 59, 62, 89 ;
vineyard of, 63

Engannim, 49

En Rogel, 75

Ephraim, border and lot of the
tribe of, 54-56, 61, 63, 86, 95,
98 ; Mount, 17, 33, 45, 46, 49,
52, 81 ; Gate of, 68, 69, 81

Esau, 35-37

Esdraelon, plain, 7, 43, 45, 46
Esdiid^ 95
Eshcol, brook, 89
Ethiopia, 3 ; road to, through
Gate of Merchants, 80

INDEX.

127

Ethiopians, 104

Eunuchs in Lesser Armenia, no
Euphrates, 6, 8

Faba, castle and plain, 46
Families of the Canaanites, 19
Field of Aceldama, 74, 84

„ Damascus at Hebron, 91,
92

„ Megiddo = plain of Es-

draelon, 46
„ Naboth the Jezreelite, 48,

Field, Fuller's, 70, 74, 84

,, Shepherd's, 86
Fish Gate, 80
Flagellation, Pillar of, 77
Forest of Lebanon, the district

called. 41
Fountain, Elisha's, 57, 59, 60
„ Gate, 68
„ on Gihon, 68, 70
„ of Siloam, 66, 70, 71,
74, 75

,, which is in Jezreel {'Am
Jaliid), 47

Framonia, 5
Filleh, 46

Fuller's Field, 74, 84
Fusail^ 56

Gad, tribe of, 37, 38
Gadara, 34 ; border of Ephraim,
98

Galilee, 7, 27, 81 ; border of, 49 ;
border of Naphtali, 98 ; plain
of, border of Ephraim, 98 ;
plain of, 46 ; road to, from St.
Stephen's Gate, 81 ; of the
Gentiles, 13, 29, 30, 31, 41 ; sea
of, 23, 27-29, 32-34, 36, 37, 40,
43, 45, 46 ; land ot the two
tribes and the half-tribe begins
at the head of the, 97 ; is the
border of Naphtali, 98

Gamala, 30

Game in Holy Land, 102

Garden of Balsam, 62

Gate Beautiful of the Temple, 82

„ of Benjamin, 81, 84

„ of the Corner, 81

„ David's, 80

I Gate of the Dragon well, 82
Dung, 68, 81, 82
of Ephraim, 68, 69, 81

„ Fi=h, 80

„ Fountain, 68, 82

„ Golden, 82

„ Judgment, 68, 81

„ of the Merchants, 80

„ Old, 68, 81, 84

„ Sheep, 69, 70, 73. 81

„ St. Stephen's, 69, 8 1 ; Dragon
Well not outside, 73

„ Valley, 69, 82

„ Water, 66, 67
Gath, 95 ; visible from Rama, 91
Gath-Hepher, Jonah's home, 39
Gaza or Gazara, 33, 96 ; road to,

from Gate of Merchants, 80 ;

Burchard sailed past, in ;

visible from Rama, 91
Gebal, 15

Gehennon, Valley of, 75, 83
Gennesareth, border of Zabulon,
98

George, St., Valley of, 31
Georgia, 2, 26
Georgians, 104, 107
Gerar, 3

Gerasa {Kkersa), 34
Gerayn (Jezreel), 48

„ Little (Engannim), 49
Gerinum., 48
Gerizim, Mount, 53
Gethsemane, 73, 74
Gibeab (Jeb'a), 55, 85, 96
Gibeon on the road leading from

the Old Gate, 81
Gibeonites, 96

Gibilin, Gibhn {Beit Jibrhi), 22
Gihon, Mount, 66, 69, 84 ; water-
course of, 70
Gilboa, 7, 37, 38, 47-49
Gilead, land of, 51, 56; Mount,

25, 36-38, 49
Gilgal, 56, 57, 60, 63
Gloria in excels is, 87
I Golden Gate, 82
\ Golgotha, church of, 75
I Gomorrah, 49
I Goshen, land of, in
I Greece, wine made in, loi
Greek sect, 3, 104 ; monks at
Beth-hoglah, 58 ; at Sebasie,
50

128

INDEX.

Gregory Nazianzen, no
Gregory X., Pope, 104
Gur, the going up unto, 45

Hachilah (Achillas), 89

Haifa, 9, 44, 93, 94 ; Burchard

sailed past, in
Ham, son of Noah, 17, 19
Hamath, 30
Hanisin^ 9

Hananeel, tower of, 70

Haylon, modern name of Machae-
runta, 51

Hazor, 21, 24, 26, 41

Heber the Kenite, 26

Hebron, 3, 55, 91 ; eight leagues
from Jerusalem, 65 ; road to,
leading from Gate of Merchants,
80 ; visited by Burchard, in

Helena, Queen of Adiabene, tomb

of, 74, 84 , , . .

Helena, St., place where she found

the Cross, 77
Herbs that grow in the Holy Land,

Hermon, 28, 31, 35. 43-45, 47, 48 ;

description of, 24-26
Hermon, the little hill of [Jebel

Nebi Dhahy), south of Tabor,

43-45 . .. .

Hermonmm (Hermoniim), 44, 45

Hermon, brook, mistake for
Arnon, 60

Herod the Great, 38, 62, 89 ; his
impregnable castle, 89, 90 ; re-
built Caesarea, 94

Herod Agrippa, 78

Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, 40, 57

Heshbon, 7 ; land of, 56

Hezekiah, 70

Holofernes, 39, 40

Holy Land, 99

Holy places, 2-4, 65

Holy Sepulchre, church of the, 75

Horites, 36

El Hosn (Krach des Chevaliers),

18, 105
Hospital, St. John's, 71
Hospitallers, Knights, 9, 18, 20,

< House of Bread,' chapel so-
called, 83
„ of Caiaphas, 78

House, King's, at Jerusalem, 68
,, Matthew's, 32
„ Patriarch's, at Jerusalem,

„ of Simon the leper, at
Bethany, 64

„ of Zacharia, 93, 96
Hugh, King of Cyprus, 9
Hungary, wine made in, loi
Hunting, royal, 24, 43

lamnia, Jamnia ( Yebnah, south of
Joppa), 86, 95 ; Burchard sailed
past, III ; visible from Rama,
91

larchas, i

laselic, chief Prelate of the Nes-

torians, 107
Ibelin (lamnia), 95
Idumaea, 29
Idumaeans, 38. 90
Illustrious Valley, 48, 49, 59
India, i

Invention of the Cross, chapel of

the, 77
lotapata, 41
Isaiah's tomb, 75
Iskanderimeh^ 10
Issachar, lot of the tribe of, 98
Ituraea, 7, 13, 14, 23, 28, 41 ;

identical with Galilee of Gentiles

according to Burchard, 31 ;

Philip, tetrarch of, 22

Jabbok, 36, 37, 60
Jabin, King ot Hazor, 21, 24
Jacob, 3 ; his dream, 51 ; his well,
53, 54

Jacobites, 3, 26, 104, 107

James of Vitry, 8

James, St. (Great), 78

Jaulan district, 23

Jeb'a (Gibeah), 55

Jebel Korimtul (Mount Quaren-

tina), 57
Jebel Nebi Dhahy, 43
Jediir^ district in Bashan, 7
Jehoshaphat, tomb, 74 ; valley, 69

71-74

Jehu, King of Israel, 45

Jemn (Engannim), 49

/(fr^j/e (Gerasa), 34 ^ \^

INDEX.

129

Jericho, 38, 56-59, 62 ; a road led
to, through the Golden Gate, 82;
was seven leagues from Jerusa-
lem, 68 ; visible from Jerusalem,

Jerome, St., i ; his study and
tomb, 89

Jerusalem, 65, 89; its size, 79, 80 ;
its gates, 80-82 ; the mountains
round about it, 83, 84 ; patriarch-
ate of, 1 5

Jews' pitch, 60

Jezreel {Zcri?t), 43, 45-47

Jibeil (Gebal), 15

el Jib (Gibeon), 85

Joachim, 41, 42

Job s tomb, 23, 30

„ well (^Am Eyiib)^ 75

John the Baptist, St., churches at
Samaria, 50

de Joinville, 20

Jonathan Maccabeus, 13

Joppa, 52, 95 ; Burchard sailed
past. III ; road from the Fish
Gate to, 80 ; place where Jonah
took ship, 86 ; thirteen leagues
from Jerusalem, 65 ; visible from
Rama, 91

Jor and Dan, streams, 22, 23

Joram, King of Israel, 45

Jordan, Burchard only went a
little way beyond, 97; source
of, 17, 22 ; Bedouins dwell
round about, 105 ; its two
streams unite before the gates
of Belinas, 28 ; enters Sea of
Galilee, 29, 30 ; bounds plain
of Galilee, 46 ; flows out of Sea
of Galilee, 38 ; passes Bethshan,
47 ; country of the two tribes
and the half-tribe lies to the east
of, 38 ; description of plains on
banks of, 56 ; flows to the east
of Mourns Hermon and Gilboa,
49 ; Moab on the east of it, 38 ;
according to some writers it
does not enter the Dead Sea,
60 ; Israelites crossed it, 57; its
plains, 52, 56 ; plain visible
from Jerusalem, 78 ; borders
the half-tribe of Manasseh, 98 ;
borders tribe of Issachar, 98 ;
reaches down from the Illustri-
ous Valley as far as the Dead

I Sea, 49 ; the road leading to it
' Jrom Jerusalem, 74 ; a road led
1 to it through the Golden Gate,
I 82 ; througn the Valley Gate,
! 82 ; visible from Jerusalem, 68 ;
I visible from Rama, 93 ; visible
j even to Mount Abarim and

Shittim, 50
\ Jordan, the Little (Wady el
Hamam), 34
Joseph of Arimathea, 86
Joseph, husband of Mary, 3

„ pit into which he was put,

32, 39
Joshua, 13

Josiah, King of Judah, 46
Jotapata, 33

Judah, lot of the tribe of, 38, 96,

Judgment Gate, 68, 81
Judm, castle, 26
Judith, 39, 40

Julia(s), Josephus's name for

Capernaum, 41
Jupiter Olympius, temple of, 53,

Kabul, 26. See Cabul
Kadesh Barnea, 7, 8, 25, 38, 68,
90

Naphtali, 27, 30, 41
KaMn (Chaco), 94
Karioth, St., 93
Kaiikab el Hawa (Belvoir), 43
Kedar, 23, 30
Kedes, 27-29
Kefr ^Ana (Emon), 55
Kerak, 38, 58
Khan Jiibb Yihef, 32
Khan Liibben (Libnah), 54
Khersa (Gerasa), 34
el Khudr (St. George), 31
King's Castle, 26

house at Jerusalem, 68
Kirjath Arba, 91
„ Jearim, 86
„ Sepher, 92
Kishon, brook, 43-45
Knights HospitallerS; 9, 18-20,43,
^94

Knights Templars, 6, 9, 13, 14, 27,
93

I30

INDEX.

Knights of the Teutonic Order, 9,
21, 26

Krach des Chevaliers {El Nosn),

18, 105
Krach {Kerak)^ 7, 38, 58
KuVat el Bahar^ 13
K II Pat J al lid (tower), 68
KuPaf Jeddin (Judin), 26
Kulhit el K2irei7i (Montfort), 21
KuVat esh Shakif^ 1 3

Lachish {Tell el Hesy), 85
Laish, 22

Land of Arabia, the whole visible

from Rama, 90
„ of Gilead, 56
„ of Heshbon, 56
,, of Moab and Ammon, 58
„ of the Philistines, visible

from Rama, 91
„ of Tappuah, 49, 52, 56
„ of two tribes and half-tribe,

56, 97

Latins in the Holy Land, 102, 103

Lazarus's tomb, 64

Lebanon, Belinas at foot of, 21 ;
end of, 17 ; fertile valleys in, 25 ;
Forest of, 41 ; 'fountain of
gardens and well of living
waters' rises at foot of, 16, 17;
Mount, 6, 10 ; description of,
24-26 ; Holy Land begins at
foot of, 97 ; mountains of, 46 ;
is the northern border of the
Bedouins, 105 ; plain of, 31, 41 ;
snow on, 24, 60 ; Syria of, 6 ;
visible from Mount of Sermon,
28 ; wine of, 14 ; wine grown all
along, lor

Lebonah {Khcm Lubben)^ 54

Legend at Beyrout, 15

Legend of Serpent at Bethlehem,
88

Leontes (Eleutherus) river, 13
Leopards, Mount of, 17
Leshem Dan, 22
Libnah {Khan Lubben)^ 54, 95
Little Jordan {Wady el Haindm),
34

Lord's Leap, the, 42

„ prison, 78
Loi's wife, 59
Lois of the tribes, 97, 98

Luz, or Bethel {Beitin), 61
Lydda, or Diospolis, 95 ; the road
to, 85

Maccabeus, Simon, 56
Maccabees, Book of, 13 ; home of,
95

Macherunta. 50-52

Magdala (Magedan, Vulg.), 23

Magdalum, the castle of Mary

Magdalen {Mejdel), 34
Mahalath, 36
Mahanaim, 37
Mahomet, 8
Makkedah, 95
Mamre, 91

Manasseh, lot of, 52 ; of the half

tribe of, 25, 34
Manasseh, Sanballat's son-in-law,

Manger at Bethlehem, 87
Maon, wilderness of, 90
Marble columns at Sebaste, 51
Margat, 6 ; castle, 14, 20, 105 ;

wine made at, loi
Mark Antony, 62
Mark, St., 23
Maronites, 3, 16, 26, 104
Martin, Sr., 49
Mary of Egypt, St., 78
Masada, 89

Mass, the Armenian ritual of the,

108, no, III
Massagetae, i
Matthew, St., 23, 27
Maundeville, Sir John, 92
Mecca, 8

Medan (waters of Dan), 23
Medes, 5, J04
Media, 3

Mediterranean Sea, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11,
44, 45 ; bounds Caesarea on
west, 94 ; forms the border of
Asshur, 98 : of Dan, 98 ; of
Judah, 97 ; of half tribe of
Manasseh, 98 ; of the whole
Promised Land, 99 ; the brook
Kishon runs into, 45 ; visible
from Kana, 90

el Medyeh (Modin), 95

Megiddo (Ezbuba), 45, 46 ; plain
of", 33

Mejdel (Magdalum), 34

INDEX.

131

Mello, 67

Memphis, i

* Mensa,' 27, 29

Merchants, Gate of the, 80

el Mcrkeb (Margat), 20

Merom, waters of, 22, 26, 30

el Mesh-hed^ in the Buttauf plain,

Jonah's tomb at, 39
Mesopotamia, 30, 36 ; Syria of,

5,6

Mesrha {el Mezra'h), 46
Michmash {M2(kh?nds), 54, 55
Micmethah (Manatat), 94
Midianites, 18, 104, 105
Milestone, Roman, 63
Miiiyeh^ 27

Misrephoth, waters of, 24
Moab, 7, 25, 30, 38, 58 ; hill

country of, 56 r pasture land of,

Modin, 95

Moloch, temple of, 83
Monreal, 7, 38
Montfort, castle, 21
Montreal, 7, 58

Moreh (Illustrious Valley), 48, 49,
59

Moriah, Mount, 6, 67, 69
Mosaic work at Bethlehem, 87
Mosque at Sebaste, once the

cathedral, 50
Mount Abarim, 38, 56, 98 ; visible
from Jerusalem, 78
,, Aceldama, 84
„ Antilibanus, 14; end of,
17

„ Bethel, 52

„ of the Assassins, 19, 20

„ Bethulia, 32, 33, 40

„ Cain, 45 ; border of Zabu-

lon, 98
„ Calvary, 76, 80
„ Carmel, 6, 9, 46, 47, 93, 94 ; j

Burchard sailed past, III I
,, Carmel, where Nabal !

dwelt, 90 j
„ Dan, above the city of I

Sichem, 53 ,
„ Ebal, 53
,, Engaddi, 59, 62, 89
„ Ephraim, 17, 33, 45, 46, ^

49, 52, 95 ; road to, from

Jerusalem, 81
„ Gerizim, 53

)unt Gihon, 66, 69, 84
„ Gilead, 25, 36-38, 49
„ Gilboa, 37, 38, 47-49
„ Halak, 13

„ Hermon, 13, 28, 31, 35,
43-45, 47,48; description
of, 24-26

„ Lebanon, 6, 10, 28; descrip-
tion of, 24-26 ; end of,
17; the Holy Land be-
gins at the foot of, 97 ;
snow on, 60

,, of Leopards, 17

„ of Moab, 58

„ Moriah, 61, 67, 69

„ Nebo, 56; visible from
Jerusalem, 78

„ of Offence, 65, 75, 83

„ of Olives, 64, 65, 71, 72,
74, 83, 84 ; road to, leads
through Valley Gate, 82

„ Phegor (Peor), 56

„ of Phoenicia, 46, 49

„ Pisgah, 56

„ of Precipitation, 42

„ Quarantania, 56, 57, 60, 63

,, Sanyr, 28, 35, 48 ; descrip-
tion of, 24-26

„ Seir, 8, 13, 34-38, 58;
visible from Rama, 90

„ Seir (Sirion, Hermon), 25

„ of Sermon, 27

„ Sharon, 9, 10, 26, 95

„ Shiloh, 84

„ Sion, 66, 67, 69, 74, 78-80;
church on, 76 ; David's
tomb on, 80

„ Tabor, 33, 43-45, 49 ; bor-
der of Issachar and
Zabulon, 98

„ a tall round, north of Cana
of Galilee, 39

„ of the Vannini, 18

„ whereon Solomon built a
temple to Chemosh, 84

Naason, border of Asshur, 98 ;

village, 32
Nabatenia, 3
Ndblus (Neapolis), 54
Nachal Eshcol, 93
Nahr Kadisha^ 1 6, 1 7
Nain, 43

132

INDEX.

Naphtali, ciiy of, 33 ; lot of tribe
of, 98

Nativity, place of the, 39, 42, 87
Nazareth, 39, 42, 43, 65
Neapolis (Sichem), 53, 54, 61
Nebajoth, 36

Nebo {Jebel Neba), south-west of
Hesbon, 56; visible from Jeru-
salem, 78

Nebuchadnezzar, 1 1

Nebulosa Tower, 68, 69

Aeby Saimvil^ 55, 85
,, Sebeldn. 26

Neel Eshcol, 92, 93

Nephin, castle, 16

Nestorians, 3, 16, 26, 104, 107

Nicopolis (Emmaus), 85, 96

Nile, Burchard sailed to the
mouth of, III

Nob {Beit Nuba), 95

Nubia, 3

Nubians, 104

Oak of Mamre, 91

Obadiah's tomb, 50

Oft'ence, Mount of, 75, 83

Ou[, King of Bashan, 7

Old Gate, 68, 81, 84

Old Man of the Mountain, 105

Old Sichem, 54

Olives, Mount of, 64, 65, 74, 83,
84

Origen's tomb, 12
P.

Palae Tyrus, 10

Palestine, 6, 7 ; Burchard sailed

along the coast of, 1 1 1
Palm-tree, Deborah's, 62
Paneas, 22

Paradise, apple of, 100
Paran, wilderness of, 35-38, 58,
59, 105

Parcel of ground which Jacob

gave to Joseph, 54
Parthians, 5

Parvum Gerinum {Jeiiiii), 48
Pass, the Dog's {Nahr el Kelb),
I5» 41

Patriarch of Jerusalem's house,
71

Paula, St., church of, 89
Pelagia, St., 83

Pella, 34
Peniel, 37

Persia, 3; Persians, 104
Peter, St., 20, 34, 43
Petra in the wilderness, 7, 38
Petra Incisa, 6, 7, 9, 12
Peirus Comestor, 50
Pharaoh, 46
Phasaelus {Fiisail), 56
Phaselu?, tower overhanging

Valley Gate, 82
Phegor (Peor), Mount, 56
Phesech {Fiisail), 56
Phiale, 23, 30
Philip, St., 34, 93
Philip, tetrarch of Galilee, 22-31,

Philistia, 5 ; Philistines, land of
the, visible from Rama, 91 ;
Philistiim, 6

Philostratus, i

Phoenice, Agenor's daughter, 6
Phoenicia, 9, 46, 49 ; Syria of, 6
Pilate, 51

Pil;jrim's Castle, 6, 7, 9, 12, 93-95
Pillar of Flagellation, 77 ; of Salt

(Lot's wile), 51
Pisgah, 56, 78

Pit into which Joseph was cast,
32, 33

Place where Ahab fought the
Syrians, 48 ; where Ahaziah,
King of Judah, died, 45 ; of the
Annunciation, 39, 42 ; where
the Apostles sat at Gethsemane,
73 ; where the Ark stood, 85 ;
where Barak fought agamst
Sisera, 43, 45 ; of the Betrayal,
73; of the Bloody Sweat, 73 ;
where the Canaanitish woman
besought Christ for her child,
14; where Cain slew Abel, 92 ;
where Christ preached the Ser-
mon on the Mount, 27 ; where
Chiist stood on the shore of
the sea of Galilee, 28 ; where
the Cross was dug up, 77 ; of
the Crucifixion, 80 ; where Eli-
jah slew the priests of Baal, 44,
45 ; where Elisha raised the
Shunamite woman's child from
the dead, 47 ; where Gideon
fought Midian, 48 ; where Jero-
boam set up one of the calves,

INDEX.

133

52 ; where John the Baptist was
beheaded, 50; where St. James
was beheaded, 78 ; where Jesus
read in the synagogue at Naza-
reth, 42 ; where Judas hanged
himself, 80; of the Last Supper,
78 ; where the Lord was bap- j
tized, 57, 58; where the Lord \
called Matthew from the receipt |
of custom, 32 ; where the Lord
baid, ' Sit ye here,' etc., 73 ;
where the Lord turned the wai err
into wine, 38, 39; where Martha ;
and Mary met the Lord, 64; i
where the Blessed Virgin Mary ■
stood near the Cro-s ; where j
she dwelt after the Ascension, j
78 ; where St. Mary of Egypt
prayed, 78 ; of the Nativity, 39, !
42, 87; of the Passion, 42; 1
where Philip baptized the \
eunuch, 93 ; where the Philis-
tines pitched their camp when I
Saul came to Gilboa, 47, 48; '
where Rabshakeh stood, 74 ; of I
the Resurrection, 42 ; where the j
Syrians fought against Ahab, !
46 ; where the Lord when he !
came down from Tabor said,
'Tell no man,' etc., 43 ; where
Saul fought the Philistines, 48 ; '
of Tophet, 83 ; where the man '
fell among thieves, 63 ; without 1
Tyre, where Christ preached, ■

12 !

Plain of Esdraelon, 43, 45 ; of

Faba, 46; at foot of hill country I

of Judaea, 91 ; of Galilee, 46, |

98 ; of Jordan, 52, 56 ; plain of '

Jordan is visible from Jeru- !

ijHlem, 78; of Lebanon, 24, 31, ;

41 ; of Megiddo, 33 ; near j

Sueta, 30; nearTortosa, 18; of ;

Zaanaim, 27 i

Plato, I I

Pool, the inner, in St. Anne's i

church, 71 ; the Sheep Pool, 71 ; |
tne bathing-pool of Siloam, 70,
71, 74; the upperpool made by
Hezekiah, 71

Pools, land o', 41 i

Pope Gregory X., 164 i

Prison, the Lord's. 78

Psephinus tower, 68

Ptolemais, 8

Ptolemy, son of Abobus, 56
Pyramids built beside the slime

pits, 60
Pyrgos Stratonis, 94
Pythagoras, i

Q-

Ouarantania, Mount, 56, 57^ 60,
63 ; wilderness of, 62

Kabbah (Areopolis), 58
Rabbath, 7

Races or Rase (Edessa), 6

Rachel's tomb, 86

Rama of Benjamin, 62 ; near
Bethel, 62 ; Cedron flows from,
74; Xi^2iX JeUa {er Rd?n), 55;
of Naphtali {Rdmeh, south-east
of Tyre), 55; near Sephet
(Rameh south-west of Safed),
55 ; near Tekoa {Rdmet el
Khali I), 55, 90, 91

Ram ah. 13

Ramathaim Zophim, 33, 44, 52, 55,
85 ; visible from Rama, 91

Rameh. Sec Rama

Rdmet el Khalil.^ north of Hebron,
55

Ramleh, 55, 86
Ramoth (lilead, 49
Ramula, 86

Rds el ""Ain^ Ehsha's fountain. 57 ;

the ' well of living water,' 10
Rds esh Shakkah, 16
Rase or Races (Edessa), 6
Red Earth, 92
Red Sea, 5. 8, 38, 56
Rehob (Roob), 13
Religions of the Holy Land,

102-111

Rephaim, Valley, 89 ; wine made

in, loi
River of Egypt, 96
Rogel, the well, 75
Romans, 33
Roob, land of, 13
e}' Rudd, 1 8
Ruins at Samaria, 51
Ruma, where Jonah was buried,

Rumeh in the Buttauf plain,
possibly Ruma, 39

134

INDEX.

Saint Andrew, city of, 34
Anne's Church, 70
„ Augustine's Day, 29
„ Cyril of Alexandria, 1 10
„ Gregory Nazianzen, no
„ Helena, place where she

found the Cross, 77
„ James the Great, 78
„ Jerome, i ; his study and

tomb, 89
„ John Baptist, his chapel on

Jordan, 57, 58 ; his

churches at Sebaste, 50;

hospital at Jerusalem, 71 ;

place where he was born,

„ John Chrysostom, 1 10
„ Karioth {Khareituti), 93
„ Mark, 23
„ Martin's Day, 49
„ Mary of Egypt, 78
„ Matthew, 23, 27
,, Omer, Hugh of, 21
„ Paula, Church of, 89
„ Pelagia, 83

„ Peier, church built by at

Antaradus, 20; city of, 34;

tabernacles, 43
„ Philip, 34, 93
„ Samuel's, 84

Stephen's Gate, 69, 81 ;

Dragon Well not outside,

„ George's Valley, 31, 32
Safed, 27, 28, 41

Salim, where John baptized, 49,

Salt, pillar of, 59
Salt Sea, 56, 58, 60
Saltiis D'?ti^ 42

Samaria, 5 ; border of, 49; district
of, 5 1 ; road to, from St. Stephen's
Gate, 81 ; visited by Burchard,
50, III

Samuel's, St., 84 ; Samuel's tomb,
44

Sanballat, 53
Sangeor, 32

Sanyr, Mount, 24-26, 28, 29, 35, 48
Saracens, their religion, 103
Sarepta, 13
Saron, 95

Saul, 47 ; birthplace of, 55

Saxony, 5
Scandalium, 10

Scythopolis {Bcthsha7i), 7, 37,41,
47

Sea, Dead, 4, 6, 8, 36, 38, 49, 58,
59. 62 ; border of Judah, 97 ; a
tongue of, 90 ; visible from
Jerusalem, 68, 79

Sea of Galilee, 23, 27-29, 32-34,
36, 37, 40, 43, 45, 46 ; border of
Naphtali, 98 ; land of the two
tribes and the half tribe begins
at, 97

Sea of Gennesaret, 40

Sea, Mediterranean, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11,
44, 45 ; borders Asshur, Dan,
Judah, the half tribe of Manas-
seh, and the entire Holy Land,
97-99

Sea, Red, 5, 8, 38, 56
Sea, Salt, 56, 58, 60
Seat, the Lord's, at Jacob's Well,
53

Sebaste, 5, 50, 65

Sebastieh (Samaria), 51

Sebbeh (Masada), 89

Seffilrieh, 39

Segor (Zoar). 5g

Seilun (Shiloh),' 85

Seir, Mount, 8, 13, 34-38, 58;

visible from Rama, 90; (Sirion,

Hermon), 25
Seleucia, visited by Burchard, in
Sennacherib, 98
Sephet, 27, 31, 32, 41, 55
Sephora, 39, 41, 42
Sephoris, 39

Serpent, Itgend of, at Bethlehem,

Sharon, Mount, 9, 10, 26, 95

Sheikh S'ad, 23

Sheikh Seiydd (Bethsaida), 34

Sheep Gate, 67, 70, 73, 81

Sheep Pool, 70

Sheep with big tails, 105

Shepherd's Field, the, 86

Shiloh, 55, 79, 81, 84

Shittim, 38

Shobek (Monreal), 7, 38
Shochoh of Judah, 96
Shunem {Sulem), 47
Shur, wilderness of, 91
Sibleth [Jibeil), 15
Sicliem, 17, 52, 65, 81

INDEX.

135

Siddim, Vale of, 60

Sidon, 6, 13-15, 22, 41 ; bishop of,

12, 15 ; border ot Asshur, 98 ;

wine made at, loi ; Sidonians,

Sihon, King of Heshbon, 7
Siioam fountain, 66. 70, 71, 74, 75 ;
bathinor pool, 70; gate leading
to the fount and pool, 82
Simeon, lot of the tribe of, 97, 98
Simon the leper's house at

Bethany, 64
Sin, 18

Sinai, wilderness of, 38

Sion, 66, 67, 69, 74, 78-82 ; church

on, 76; David's tomb on, 80
Sisera, 26. 43
Soda (Belmont), 96
Sobal, Syria, 7, 8
Sodom, 49; Sodomites, 59
Sorek valley, 96

Stephen, St., gate at Jerusalem,
69, 81 ; Dragon Well not out-
side it, 73

Stone bearing the print of the
Lord's knees, 74

Stone from which the Lord
ascended into heaven, 83

Stone that was rolled away from
the sepulchre, 76

Stone Zoheleth, 75

Strato's tower, 94

Suburbe (Megiddo), 45

Sueta, 23, 30, 34

Si//em, east of Ftileh (Shunem),
47

Sugar mills at Jericho,. 57
Sugar-canes, 99
Synochim, 18

Syria, 3, 30 ; Burchard sailed to,

III ; Syrias, the, 5-8
Syrians, their religion, 3, 103, 104

Tabor, Mount, 33, 43-45, 49 ;
border of Issachar and Zabulon,

Tammun (Tappuah), 49
Tantalus, i

Tappuah, land of, 49, 52, 56
Taurus, Mount, 5
Tekoa, 55, 62, 65, 89, 90
Tell Dothan, 32
„ Jezar,()6

Tell el Kady (Dan river), 23

„ Main (Maon), 90

„ esh Shaghur, 59
Teman, 34

Templars, Knights, 6, 9, 13, 14,

I 27, 93

i Temple, the, 65, 66, 69, 82 ; area,
; 68

Temple of Moloch, 83
i Temple of Jupiter Olympius, 53,
54

Ten Tribes, land of the, 97
Terebinth, Valley of the, 96

I Teutonic Order, Knights of the,

j 9» 21, 26
Thebez, 54

Thiras, son of Japhet, 11
Tiberias, 34, 39-41 ; the prince of,
21

Tibnin, 21
Timnath-heres, 17
Tirzah, 52
Tobler, Dr., 20

Tomb of Adam and Eve, Abra-
ham, Isaac, and Jacob, 91 ; of
! Amos, 89 ; of B.V. Mary, 72, 75,
1 82 ; of Canaan, 17 ; of his sons,
\ 19; of David, on Mount Sion,
I 80 ; Elisha's, 50 ; Helena's,
\ Queen of Adiabene, 74, 84 ; of
Herod the Great, 90; of Isaiah,
75 ; of Jehoshaphat, 74 ; St.
Jerome's, 89 ; Job's, 23, 30 ; of
St. John Baptist at Samaria,
50 ; Jonah's, 39 ; Joseph's, 54 ;
Joshua's, 17 ; Lazarus's, 64 ;
Maccabeus's, 95 ; Obadiah's,
50 ; Origen's, 12 ; of the Patri-
archs', at Hebron, 91 ; St. Pela-
gia's, 83 ; Rachel's, 86; Samuel's,
44 ; of the sons of Canaan,
I ^9

Tombs at Cadesh Naphtali, 27

Tophet, Valley of, 75

Toron, 21 ; de los caballeros

{Latnin), 95
Tortosa, 18

Tower, Akra, 84 ; Antony's, 80 ;
David's, 66, 67, 70, 78, 80 ;
of Hananeel, 70 ; of Phaselu?,
70

Trachonitis, 7, 23, 28, 31, 41, 48 ;
Philip, tetrarch of, 22 ; = Plain
of Lebanon, 24

136

INDEX.

Tracones^ 24 ; iraconcs et Pyra-

mides, 1 1
Tripoli, 6, 14. 16, 17, 105 ; county

of, 15, 21
Turcomans, 18. 104-106
Tyre, 6, 9-12 ; x\rchbishop of, 15 ;

Burchard sailed to, iii ; Toron

built as a check to, 21 ; view of

Lebanon from, 25

Uannini, 18
Upper Gihon, 69
Uz, land of, 31

Valania, 6, 20, 21 ; bishop's see,
20

Valley of Achor ( Wady Kelt), 57 ;
of Bakar, 41 ; of Berachah
{IVady Breikut)^ south-west of
Tekoa, 90 ; of Buka'ah, in Coele
Syria. 41 ; of Carmelion, 39, 42,
98 ; Gate, 69, 73, 82 ; of Gehen-
non, 75 ; ^ate leading to, 82 ;
St. George's, 31 ; the Illustrious,
48, 49, 59 ; of Jehoshaphat, 69,
71, 72, 74, 82 ; of Jezreel, 48, 49 ;
where Judith washed herself,
40 ; of Rephaim, 89, 96 ; wine
made at, loi ; of Sangeor, 32 ;
encircling Mount Sion, 67 ; of
Siddim, 60 ; of Sorek, 96 ; of
Tears, 92,93 ; of the Terebinth,
95 ; of Tophet, 75 ; toward the
setting sun, near the Mediterra-
nean, the lot of the tribe of Dan,
98 ; 'of vision,' burden of the,
71 ; west of Jerusalem, 67, 68 ;
of Zaanaim, 26, 27

Vannini, 105

i Vein of the Nile, 28

j Verses on Jerusalem, 61

I Vespasian, 80

/ Vines, loi, 102 ; Naboth's vine-
yard, 52 ; vineyards in Valley
of Rephaim, 89
Virgin's Tomb, church at the, 72,
75

Jacques de Vitry, 8, 40, 79
W.

Wady Breikiit, 90 ; Kelt, 57 ; ^/
} Melek (Carmelion), 39

Walls of Jerusalem, 79, 80

Water Gate, 66, 67, 82

Waters of Dan, 23 ; of Merom, 22,
26, 30 ; of Mizrephoth, 24 ; of
Strife, 8 ; the well of living, 10,
16, 17

' Way of the Sea,' 29

WellJ David's, at Bethlehem, 87 ;
the Dragon's, 73; Gate of the
Dragon's, 82 ; Jacob's, 53, 54 ;
Jesub's, at Nazareth, 42 ; of
living waters, 10, 16; en Rogel,
75

Wilderness, the Great, 96 ; of

Paran. See Paran
Wine of the Holy Land, loi

Zaanaim, Valley of, 26, 27
Zabul (Kabul), 26
Zabulon, lot of, 98
Zachariah, house of, 93, 96
Zaracin, 48
Zared, brook, 60
Zibeon the Hivite, 37
Ziph {Tell Zif), 90
Zoheleth, the stone, 75
Ziiweirah (Zoar), 59

THE END.

UILLINO AND SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORD.

Palestine f tigcima' '^ext gocietg.

PART XIV. OF BOOK III.

MARINO SANUTOS

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS
TO HELP THEM TO RECOVER THE HOLY LAND,

WRITTEN IN A.D. I32I.

AUBREY STEWART, M.A.

WITH GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES

LIEUT. - COLONEL CONDER, R.E., LL.D.

LONDON :
24, HANOVER SQUARE, W
1896.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER _ PAGE

PREFACE . . . . . . V

NOTE ON THE MAPS . . . . . ix

I. THE POSITION OF THE COUNTRIES WHICH BORDER UPON

THE HOLY LAND . . . . .1

II. THE COAST REGION OF THE WHOLE OF SYRIA . 4

III. THE SITUATION OF NOTABLE PLACES IN THE HOLY

PROMISED LAND . . . , '9

IV. THE POSITION OF THE MOUNTAINS IN THE COUNTRY

BEYOND JORDAN, TO THE EASTWARD . .26

V. THE POSITION OF THE CHIEF MOUNTAINS ON THIS SIDE

OF JORDAN . . . . . .29

VI. THE COURSE OF THE WATERS AND RIVERS OF THE HOLY

LAND . . . . . -32

VIL THE PILGRIMAGE FROM PTOLEMAIS THROUGH NAZARETH

EVEN TO JERUSALEM . . . '36

VIII. THE PILGRIMAGE THROUGH THE HOLY CITY OF JERU-
SALEM, AND THE MOUNT SIGN . . '3^
IX. THE PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY PLACES ROUND ABOUT

JERUSALEM . . . . . -43

X. THE PILGRIMAGE TO SUCH PLACES AS WERE OMITTED

IN THE CITY OF JERUSALEM . . .48

XI. THE PILGRIMAGE TO BETHLEHEM AND HEBRON . 50

XII. THE STATE OF THE KINGDOM OF EGYPT . 55

INDEX . . . . . . .64

ILLUSTRATIONS.

II. MAP OF THE HOLY LAND .... End

III. MAP OF ASIA MINOR, SYRIA AND EGYPT - - „

IV PLAN OF JERUSALEM -----

PREFACE

TO THE EXTRACT FROM MARINO SANUTO.

Marino Sanuto, or Sanudo, surnamed Torsello, came of
a noble and wealthy Venetian family. Blondus in his
abridgment of Venetian history tells us that when, in
A.D. 1204, the Republic bought Crete from Boniface, Mar-
quis of Montferrat, Marco Sanuto was the ambassador sent
to arrange the terms of the bargain. At this period the
Republic allowed its citizens to keep any territory which
they might capture from the infidels as their own private
property ; and in 1207 the same Marco Sanuto at the
head of a band of Venetian adventurers made himself
master of the islands of Naxos, Paros, Melos, and, indeed,
most of the Cyclades, which were governed by his family,
with the title of Duke of Naxos, for more than a hundred
and twenty years. Marino is said to have been the son of
this Marco. The dates, however, make this rather doubt-
ful. He himself had many of the qualities necessary for
the task which he undertook, of setting forth the method
in which a crusade ought to be undertaken. He seems to
have been well read, though pedantic in the extreme : his
references to and quotations from Vegetius and Frontinus

PREFACE

show much industry, if not much discrimination. Deter-
mined to do his work thoroughly, he wrote a history of the
Holy Land and its inhabitants, beginning with Adam and
Eve, giving a resume of Bible history, a brief account of
the Roman conquest, and a somewhat detailed history of
the Crusades, chiefly taken from Jacques de Vitry, while
in his history of Tartary he closely follows Vincent of
Beauvais.

Besides these literary labours, Marino five times crossed
the sea ; he sailed to Cyprus, Cilicia (then called Armenia),
Rhodes, Alexandria, and Acre. He was a frequent visitor
to the two latter places, and tells us how the Emperor
Palaeologus built a tower at Acre in his time. He admits
that he does not know the Egyptian coast well, but tells
what he has heard about it from trustworthy men. Besides
these voyages, he sailed from Venice to Bruges, that he
might get books to serve in writing his history ; he also
travelled to Holstein and * Sclavia.' The greater part of
his life, he says, was spent in * Romania,' and consequently
he affirms that he well understands its condition and re-
sources, especially those of the province of ' Amorea,' or
Morea. In a letter addressed to the Emperor of Constan-
tinople he says that owing to his zeal for the cause of
Christendom and his many journeys on its behalf, he has
remained a widower for a long time, but that he is pre-
pared to accept a wife from the Emperor, should he offer
him a lady of suitable rank. Altogether Marino appears
to have been a real enthusiast at a time when the crusading
spirit was fast dying out in Europe ; possibly his zeal for
the faith may have been quickened by the perilous position
of his family principality of Naxos, which was certain to

PREFA CE.

vii

be one of the first provinces of Christendom to succumb to
a forward movement of the Turk. He was learned with
the learning of the Middle Ages, and had access to the
best society of his time ; his letter (in French) to Philip IV.
of France and his allusions to Edward I. of England are
curious ; but the most notable feature of his great work is
the collection of maps appended to it. Of these, that of
the Mediterranean has unluckily perished ; but there
remain a Mappa Mundi, a map of the Holy Land,^ and
a map of the coast of Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt ;^
besides plans of Jerusalem^ and of Acre. The map of the
Holy Land is divided by lines into squares exactly as
described by John Poloner in his account of his map ;
probably Poloner's map was copied from Sanuto's, or else
they both followed the custom of the time in covering their
maps with a quadrangular network of lines. In the four-
teenth century map-making was in its infancy. Ptolemy's^
great work was not translated into Latin until 1409, and
was not published until 1475 ; and in the meantime the
Italian mariners, who had grown to be the carriers of the
world in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, used what
are called compass-charts — that is, their navigators drew
lines from numerous points, those lines representing all the
points of the compass, and then determined the position
of ports and capes by the intersection of these lines from
different centres. This system is illustrated by the lines
drawn from various points on the margin of Sanuto's

^ Reproductions of these three maps will be found at the end of
this extract.

2 For an account of Ptolemy and his map, see a paper by
J. Macdonald, LL.D., F..S.A. Scot., in the Jour7%al of the Archczological
Institute^ vol. xlviii., p. 36 (No. 192, 1891).

viii

PREFACE.

Mappa Mundi, where it is interesting to notice how, as is
done in Italy to this day, the names of winds are used as
names for points of the compass ; for instance, the ventus
qui dicitur M agister, as he calls it in Book II., Part IV.
(Maestrale, mistral, N.W.), comes opposite to the ventus
Syrocaniis (Scirocco, S.E.) and so on. The lines on the
Holy Land map are merely drawn for convenience of find-
ing places therein, and have nothing to do with the com-
pass, or with latitude and longitude. They did not,
therefore, in any way assist in the construction of the map,
which was drawn first and had the lines added afterwards.

Marino Sanuto presented his four maps and two copies
of his book, one bound in red and the other in yellow, to
Pope John XXL on September 24, 1321.

AUBREY STEWART.

London, 1896.

NOTE ON THE MAPS.
By Lieutenant-Colonel Conder, R.E.

Marino Sanuto wrote a generation after the loss of
Acre in 1291 A.D., and though his work as a whole is
interesting, as representing the last lingering hopes of
reconquest of Palestine, it shows that the country was no
longer as familiarly known to Europeans as in the twelfth
or thirteenth centuries. There is no indication of his
having been in Palestine, and he depends for topography
chiefly on Burchard of Mount Sion, and Jacques de Vitry.
His map of Egypt and Western Asia is remarkable for
confusing the Gulf of Akabah with the Persian Gulf. The
Tigris and Euphrates are made to fall into the sea im-
mediately east of St. Catherine (Mount Sinai) ; while on
the other hand the names along the shores of the Mediter-
ranean, in Asia Minor and Syria are numerous and fairly
correct.

The map of Palestine is a rude sketch, quite out of scale,
and very incorrect. The country is too wide on the north
in proportion to the south. The division into squares is
only intended for convenience in reference, and has no
connection with degrees and meridians. The part east of
Jordan is especially faulty, the topography having been
shifted northwards, so that the Arnon occupies the place of

NOTE ON THE MAPS.

the great Wddy Sdr'm Gilead, while Heshbon, Elealeh, and
Bethjeshimoth, are shown half-way up the Jordan Valley.
By an extraordinary error Damascus is shown close to
Paneas, and west of Hermon : the waters of Merom are
shown much too large, and the Dead Sea comparatively is
too small. The topography of this map has been explained
in the notes to the text. The map contains the names of
the tribes, but Naphtali is shown east of Jordan, and Dan
and Simeon are omitted.

Various notes are written, to explain the geography, on
this map. In the north-east corner is written, ' All beyond
Uz, Cedar, and the Sea of Galilee is called Basan, beyond
Uz and the Plain of Lebanon, and it was part of Decapolis.'
A mountain south-east of Hermon, near Bozrah {Jebel
ed Driiz), bears the title * Aman[a] beyond Ausitis' (Uz) ;
and south of this is Sanyr or Seir, with the note * joins
Damascus.' The pass near Banias bears the title ' Hamath
begins.' Lake Phiale is shown south of Sueta (the Jaulan),
with the words, 'Josephus calls this Phiale, the Saracens
Medan, whence the true vein of Jordan, by an underground
opening.' In Mount Gilead the legend reads, ' Menay and
Machaerus, now Haylon, here David hid, and Job was
tempted.' The site, though placed so far north, seems to
refer to Machaerus [Mekhaur), and to Minyeh on the north
side of the Zerka M'ain, and should be east of the Dead
Sea The words ' Region of Sihon, King of Heshbon,' are,
however, written south of this legend. By the * Torrent
Arnon ' — also shown too far north — is Ar, with the legend,
* Metropolis of Arabia Tertia at Corcae ' {i.e., Kerak) ; but
Abarim Nebo and Pisgah are wrongly marked south of
this, while further south is written, * Amon (Ammon), and
Euphrates, and Petra Deserta of Egypt, and Crac, and
Mons Regalis ' — all apparently at Kerak. South, again,
is written, * Mount Seir beyond Edom,' and * The Valley

NOTE ON THE MAPS.

of Salt, and Lake Asphaltidis, or dead, where the houses
of the wicked were drowned.'

West of Jordan there are fewer legends on the map. At
Banias is written, * Laas (Laish), and Belinas, and Dan, and
Lesedan (Laish-Dan), and Caesarea Philippi.' By Merom
is written, ' Here Joshua fought twenty kings and followed
them to Sidon and destroyed.' North of the Sea of Galilee
is shown the Mensa, or 'Table' Mountain, with the words,
* God fed the people with five loaves ' ; and further east
near Corocaym (Chorazin), ' God and the seven loaves.'
Near Belvoir, east of Tabor, is the legend, 'Here Barak
fought Sisera'; and south of this, ^Metropolis of Betsan '
{Beisdn). By Mount Hermon and Hermoniim {Jebel Nebi
Dhdhy) is written, * Gideon fought Midian, Ahab fought
the Assyrians ' {i.e., Syrians), in the Valley of Jezreel. In
the middle of the Plain of Esdraelon are the words, ' Here
Necho killed Josiah.' South of Shechem is ' Timnath
Serah and the Sepulchre of Joshua ' ( Kefr Hdris), and by
Maginas and Bira is the ' Palm-tree of Deborah.' Doctu,
Rooc, represents 'AinDiik, near Jericho, but is placed north
of Fasel, or Fasael {Fusdil)^ south of which Quarantena
is shown. Herodium is placed far east of Bethlehem in
the ' Desert of Tekoa,' and west of this trjs ggis means
'Tower of the Flock' (Eder), close to Bethlehem. The
site of Philip's Fountain bears the legend, ' Baptism of the
Eunuch, also the mountain called the Jaw' (Ramath Lehi);
and West of Hebron is written, ' The Valley of Eshcol,
whence the two men brought the cluster.' The ' Sepulchre
of the Maccabees ' is marked {^XLatrort) west of Nicopolis,
but Ramula {Ranileh) is placed south of Jaffa. On the
south-west of the Dead Sea is the legend, ' Desert of
Maon. To east and south Idumaea and Mount Seir, which
was beyond the borders of the Children of Israel, and on
the south was Amalek, and the land of Amalek reached

NOTE ON THE MAPS.

from the tongue of the Dead Sea to Kadesh Barnea.'
West of this is shown ' Carmel, and here Nabal lived.'

The map of Jerusalem is remarkable as showing the
wall on the south including the Coenaculum, but on the
south-east it joins the Haram on the present line, which is
also that represented in other parts of its course. The
Piscina Inferior seems to answer to the pool recently dis-
covered near Siloam. The word ' Jerusalem ' is written
west of the Haram (see Notes on the * City of Jerusalem ').
Mount Sion is placed on the south slopes of Olivet. The
remaining legends are easily intelligible to the reader.

PART XIV. OF BOOK III. OF
MARINO SANUTO'S

Secrets for True Crusaders

TO HELP THEM TO RECOVER THE HOLY LAND.

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE POSITION OF
PLACES, CHIEFLY IN THE HOLY LAND.

CHAPTER I.

The Position of the Countries which border
UPON the Holy Land.

The holy Promised Land is in Syria, which includes all
the land from the Tigris even to Egypt, and has on the
east the Tigris ; on the south, the Arabian Gulf ; on the
west, the Mediterranean Sea ; on the north, Armenia and
Cappadocia. This country, whose general name is Syria,
is divided into sundry parts. Syria the First, lying be-
tween the Tigris and Euphrates, reaches a long way north
and south — that is to say, from Mount Taurus to the
Arabian Gulf — and is called Syria of Mesopotamia ; for an
account of which see Part VI., chap. i. In it is Edissa,^
which in Tobit is called Rages, commonly called Roasse ;
it lies fourteen leagues beyond the Euphrates, between the

^ Edessa, now Orfa. It was also called Callirhot\ whence its
Armenian name, Er-Roha^ from which comes the mediaeval Roasse.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS,

Taurus and Caucasus Mountains ; for an account of which
see Part V., chap. ii. This northern part has taken to
itself the name of the whole province, and is called, strictly
speaking, Mesopotamia of Syria. In it also are Nineveh
and Babylon. Furthermore, this Syria is divided into
provinces — to wit, Media, Chaldaea, and Persia, as is
shown in the map. Syria the Second is called Coele-
Syria ; it reaches from the river Euphrates and Mount
Taurus as far as the river Abana, which enters the sea in
the city of Valania, below the castle of Margat.^ Antioch
is the chief city of this Syria. Syria the Third is called
Syria Phoenice : it begins at the aforesaid river of
Valania, and extends to the south as far as Petra Incisa,
which they call Districtum, under Mount Carmel, now
called Pilgrims' Castle.^ To the east it reaches as far as
the entrance to Hamath ; wherefore it contains Capernaum,
Margat, Antaradus,^ and other cities : its chief city is Tyre.
Syria the Fourth is called Syria of Damascus, because its
chief city is Damascus ; it is also called Syria of Lebanon,
because therein is the famous Mount Lebanon ; it is also
often simply called Syria, as Isaiah says (vii. 8) * The head
of Syria is Damascus.' Moreover, the three parts of
Palestine are called Syrias ; wherefore Syria the Fifth is
that Palestine which is properly called Philistim.^ Its chief
city is Caesarea, and it begins at Pilgrims' Castle, and
stretches toward the south, along the shore of the Medi-

' Margat, now e/ Merkeb^ close to the shore, near Ras Hassan,,
south of Latakia. Balanea, or Belinas, now Banids^ is close by. The
river Abana was near Damascus, and did not flow into the sea as
here supposed.

2 Districtum, or Petra Incisa, now Khurbet Dustrey^ is close to
Chateau Pelerin, which was built in 1192 by the Templars at 'Athlit.

3 Capernaum is now Kefr Lihti^ near 'Athlit. Antaradus, or Tortosa.
{Tariiis)^ on the mainland by the island of Aradus {er Rudd)^ is in.
North Syria. Hamath {Hdinah) on the Orontes.

4 Philistim is Philistia, and Caesarea {Kaisdrieh) south of 'Athlit.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

terranean Sea, as far as Gaza. Syria the Sixth is the
second Palestine, whose chief city is Jerusalem, including
all the hill country even to the Dead Sea, and to the
wilderness of Kadesh-barnea. This country, strictly speak-
ing, is called Judaea, the name of a part being given to the
whole. Syria the Seventh is the other part of Palestine ;
its chief city is Bethsan,^ at the foot of Mount Gilboa, near
Jordan ; it contains Galilee and the great plain of Jezreel.
The three parts of Arabia are likewise called Syrias ;
wherefore there is an eighth Syria, whose chief city is
Bozra, now called Bozereth, in ancient times Bersa. This
is bounded by the country of Trachonitis, by Ituraea on
the west, and on the north almost by Damascus. Being so
near to Damascus, that part of Arabia is sometimes called
Syria of Damascus ; wherefore Aretha- is called King of
Arabia, when in truth he was King of Damascus. Syria
the Ninth is that Arabia whose chief city is Petra,'^ called
of old Nabath, Ar^ and Areopolis ; it stands on the brook
Arnon, on the boundary of the Moabites and the Amorites.
It also contained the kingdom of Sihon, King of Heshbon,
and the kingdom of Og, King of Basan, and Mount Gilead ;
on the south side it joins Arabia the First. Syria the Tenth
is that Arabia whose chief city is Monreal, which is now
called Crach. In olden times this was called Petra in the
Wilderness ; it stands beyond the Dead Sea, and has
dominion over the land of Moab, which properly is called
Syria Sobal, and contains within itself the whole of
Idumaea, which is Mount Seyr, and all the land round
about the Dead Sea, even to Kadesh-barnea, and to Ezion

^ Bethsan, Bethshean, is now Beisdn.

2 Aretas I., 2 Mace. v. 8 ; Aretas 11. , 2 Cor. xi. 32.

3 The sites of Petra and of Montreal had been lost, and transferred
to Kerak as early as 1280 a.d. (Burchard). Montreal was at Shobek,
north of Petra (Ludolph, p. 118, note). Ar, or Areopolis, was at
Rabbah, further north, but south of Kerak.

4 SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

Geber, and the Waters of Strife, as one goes to the Red
Sea, and across the broad wilderness, even to the Euphrates.
This is Arabia the Great, and First ; it is also called Arabia
Etidaevion — that is, Holy. Therein, in the city of Mecca,
the abominable Mahomet is worshipped.

CHAPTER 11.

The Coast Region of the Whole of Syria.

On going out of Asia Minor, one finds a narrow road
between the mountains and the sea, which is called Passus
Portellae.i Half a day's journey to the south of this, one
reaches Alexandretta ; beyond this, one crosses the Black
Mountain, and in another half-day's journey arrives at the
two castles of Bagaras and Trapasa, at the foot of the
mountain. From hence it is half a day's journey to
Antioch. Ten miles from Antioch is the sea, and a port
named Soldyn, or St. Simeon's Harbour f for an account of
which see Part V., chap, iv., and Part VH., chap. i. From
St. Simeon's Harbour to Pulzyn is twenty miles. P>om
Pulzyn to Gloriata is twenty miles. From Gloriata to
Liza is ten miles. From Liza to Lena is ten miles. From
Lena to Valania is five miles. Five miles beyond Valania,
one league from the sea, is the exceeding strong castle of
Margat, which once belonged to the Hospitallers. At

• ^ Passus Portellae is apparently the Syrian Gate now called Jonah's
Pillar, and Alexandretta {Iskanderiai) at the south side of the Gulf of
Issus. The Black Mountain was the range east of this gulf and north
of the Orontes, the Mons Amanus, or Giaour Dagh^ which was crossed
by the Pylae Syriae, or Beilan Pass.

2 Soldyn, or St. Simeon's Harbour, was the ancient Seleucia, now
Suiveidiyeh^ the port of Antioch, at the mouth of the Orontes.

the river which flows past Valania (see first chapter) the
principality of Antioch ends, and that of Tripoli begins.
From Margat to Tortosa is twenty miles ; Tortosa is
called Antaradus, because it stands before the rays of the
sun. Aradium^ is an island standing in the deep sea,
half a league away from the mainland. On it there is
a city which was built by Aradius, son of Canaan, and
therein St. Peter found St. Clement's mother.- There
St. Peter, on his way to Antioch, built a little church, and
dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin. This is said to have
been the first church built in her honour, wherefore the
holy Mother of God hath wrought many miracles therein,
so that the church is reverenced even by the infidels.
Beside Antaradus, half a league to the east, are mountains
whereon certain Saracens dwell ; this is called the Country
of the Assassins, where the Old Man of the Mountains
bore rule, about whom you will be told hereafter. Eight
leagues from Tortosa is the castle of Arachus,^ built by
Aracheus, son of Canaan"^ (Part V., chap. vii.). Here ends
Lebanon and Antilebanon. Half a league from the castle
of Arachus is the town of Sin,^ which was built by Syneus,
son of Canaan ; some call this castle Sinochim. From
this town and castle a great, beauteous and fertile
plain reaches even to the castle of Crach, which once
belonged to the Hospitallers. This plain extends for ten
leagues, as far as Tortosa, and contains many villages, fair
groves of fig-trees, olive-trees, and the like ; it abounds
with streams and exceeding rich pastures. For this cause

^ Aradium is the ancient Arvad, on the small island er Rimd, west
of Tortosa.

^ Poloner, p. 34.

3 Arachus is the ancient Arkah, now 'Arkah^ near the shore north
of Tripoli.

4 Poloner, p. 35.

5 Sin, the Sinna of Strabo, the town of the Sinite (Gen. x. 17 ;
I Chron. i. 15 ; cf. Ges. Thes., p. 948). The site is not known.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

the Turcomans, and Midianites, and Bedouins dwell there
in tents, with their wives and children and cattle. On the
east side this plain is bordered by mountains of no great
extent ; these begin opposite Arachus, and reach as far as
Baracha. Therein dwell the Saracens called Vavini, a
fierce and malignant race that hates Christians. Twenty-
miles from Tortosa is Tripoli, whereof you may read in
Part VI., chap, xviii. Five miles from Tripoli is Nephyn.^
Five miles from Nephyn is Botrum, commonly called
Botron.- Eleven miles from Botrum is Biblium, commonly
called Zibelet,^ the ancient Evea, founded by Evens, son
of Canaan, for which see Part VI., chap, xviii. Five
miles from Biblium is Berytus, for which see Part VI.,
chap, vi., and three leagues from thence, toward Botron,
by the river (which is called the Dog's River), there is the
place which is called the Dog's Pass.* This is the boun-
dary between the patriarchates of Antioch and Jerusalem.
No one can pass that way by land, save by favour of the
Saracens, for a few of them could hold the pass against
any number, seeing that the way, which leads between a
perpendicular cliff and the sea, is not more than a fathom
wide, and extends for about a quarter of a league. For
an account of all these places, see Part VI., chap, xviii.
Ten miles from Beyrout is Sidon, commonly called
Sageta,"* for which see Part VI., chap, vi.*^ Two leagues
from Sidon is Sarepta, described already. Two leagues
from Sarepta is the river Elenterus, which rises in Ituraea,

^ Nephyn was at I^ds Shakkah^ south of Tripoli.

2 Botron, the ancient Batruna, classical Botrys, now Batrun.

3 Zibelet, the ancient Gebal, classic Byblos, modern Jibeil.

4 The Dog's Pass is the pass south of the Dog River {Nahr el Kelb)
north of Beirut.

5 Sageta, Sayette, for Saida (Sidon), is the usual mediaeval name of
this city.

^ Ludolph von Suchem, p. 52, in this series.

at the foot of Hazor, and first runs eastward and then
westward ; it runs past the castle of Belfort, near Hermon,
as far as which Joshua pursued the twenty-four kings
(Josh. xi.). It was as far as this place that Jonathan
pursued King Demetrius (i Mace. xii.). It enters the sea
between Sarepta and Tyre.^ Three leagues from the river
Eleutherus is Tyre, where Origen was buried. In Tyre
there are many relics of the saints, for in the time of
Diocletian God alone knows how many received there the
crown of martyrdom. Much is told about Tyre in
Part VI., chap, xi., xii., and Part VII., chap. i. One
league beyond Tyre is the famous ^ well of living waters,'-
about a bow-shot from the road leading to the following
places, whose water (Cant. iv. 15) comes down in a stream
from Lebanon. Although it is called a well, in the sin-
gular number, yet there are four of the same shape, but of
different size ; for one of them, being square, has its sides
forty cubits in length, while the other three measure about
twenty-five. All of them are fenced about with walls of
exceeding great stones, built in almost indestructible
fashion, and raised to the height of a lance, and
higher ; thus the water is collected in them, and runs
down thither from every side without the walls. There are
there likewise watercourses as deep and as wide as a man's
step, whereby water is supplied to all the plain of Tyre.
These fountains are little more than a bow-shot distant
from the sea ; yet in this little space they turn the wheels
of six mills. To this fount the saying of Ecclesiasticus

^ This River Eleutherus (i Mace. xii. 30) is the modern Litany^
the Nahr Lanteh of Abu el Feda. Rising in the Lebanon (not in
Ituraea) west of Hermon, it runs south, then west, passing Belfort
{Ktd'at esh Shakif), to the sea between Sarepta {Surafend) and Tyre.
It is not probably the Eleutherus which is the Nahr el Kebir north
of Tripoli.

2 Poloner, p. 31.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

well applies (Ecclus. xxiv. 31), * I will water my best
garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed : and
lo, my brook became a river, and my river became a sea.'
This is described above, Part VI., chap, xviii.^ Little more
than a league from the well is the castle of Scandalium,
mentioned in Part VI., chap. viii. Three leagues from
Scandalium, after you have crossed Mount Sharon, at its
foot, Casale Lamberti stands by the sea-shore, and it is a
place which abounds in gardens, vineyards, and running
waters. Four leagues beyond Casale Lamberti^ is Acre,
also called Ptolemais and Abiron. The children of Israel
never possessed this city ; for an account thereof, see
Part VI., chap. iv. Three miles from Acre is Haifu, which
stands at the foot of Mount Carmel, on the north side.
A league from Haifu is the way that leads to Pilgrims'
Castle; upon Mount Carmel, about half a league further, is
Elijah's cave, and Elisha's abode, and the well where the
sons of the prophets dwelt. Afterwards Carmelite monks
dwelt upon Mount Carmel.^ Three leagues from Haifu is
Pilgrims' Castle, which once belonged to the Templars ; it
is exceeding strong, and stands in the deep sea. Three
leagues from Pilgrims' Castle is Caesarea of Palestine ;
the compasses make this twenty miles ; for an account
thereof, see Part VI., chap. iv. Two leagues from Caesarea
is the fort of Assur, or Dora f the compasses make this

^ These springs and tanks still exist at /\ds el ^Ain (Palae-Tyrus),
south of Tyre, close to the shore (see ' Memoirs Western Palestine
Survey,' vol. i., sheet i., and vol. iii., appendix) ; the aqueduct thence
sti.l runs to Tyre.

Scandalium (Champ de Lion), is now Iskanderuneh, on the shore
north of Rds en NaMrah ('the head of the cutting,' or Ladder of
Tyre), here called Mount Sharon. Casale Lamberti, or Casale
Imberti, is now Hamshi^ south of the Ladder of Tyre.

3 Elijah's cave was shown at the present site, on the west of Carmel,
above Haifa.

4 Assur is Arsnf south of Caesarea. Dora is placed usually at
Tantilra, north of Caesarea.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

fifteen miles. It used to belong to the Templars, who even
after its loss were wont to pay twenty-eight thousand
bezants a year to the Lord of Assur; for an account
thereof, see Part III, chap. iv. Eight leagues from Assur
is Joppa, which stands by the sea-shore, and is commonly
called Zapha (Jaffa) ; for an account thereof, see Part VI.,
chap. iii. Ten miles from Joppa {?) is Beroald^s Castle.^
Ten miles from Beroald's Castle is Ascalon ; for an account
thereof, see Part VL, chap. viii. Fifteen miles from
Ascalon is Gaza; for an account thereof, see Part VI.,
chap, xviii. From Gaza to Darum'^ is fifteen miles ; for an
account of Darum, see Book II., Part IV., chap, xviii.
Here endeth the Promised Land. Some mention of the
aforesaid places will likewise be found in Book II.,
Part IV., chap. xxv.

CHAPTER HI.

The Situation of Notable Places in the Holy
Promised Land.

The length of the Promised Land extends from Dan,
which lies at the foot of Mount Lebanon, on the north, to
Beersheba, which lies to the south near the wilderness of
Egypt, a distance of eighty-three leagues. Its breadth
extends from the Mediterranean Sea on the west, twenty-
ei>4ht leagues toward the east. Let us now conceive the
Holy Land to be divided by straight lines into twenty-
eight spaces, which reach from Mount Lebanon to the
wilderness, through which you go into Egypt ; and like-

^ Chateau Beroald is the ruined castle on the shore south of
Yehnah^ at the place called Mi7iet el KiiVaJi.
~ Darum, now Deir el Beldh, south of Gaza.

10 SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

wise into eighty-three other spaces by straight lines drawn

across the former from west to east, so as to produce many

squares, each measuring one league, or two miles.^ In

the first, or last space, which is to the eastward, beginning

at the north and going down toward the south, is Ar, now

Areopolis, or Petra. In square seventy-six is Petra^ of the

Wilderness, or Monreal ; for an account thereof see Part VI.,

chaps, viii. and xviii. In the second space, and the twelfth

square, is Bozra,^ now Idumaea. In the third space, square

fifty, is Heshbon ; in the sixty-first is Othonaym. In the

fourth space, square thirty-six, is Macheronta, or Mahanaim,

now Haylon ; this is the place where David lay hidden,

and where John the Baptist was imprisoned.* In the

fourteenth is Ayr, or Anoth Seyr.^ In the sixth is Sethyn.^

In the fifth space, the eighth square_, is Baalgad.^ In the

twenty-first is Kedar, a noble fenced city on Mount Sanyr.^

By it passes the road that leads from Achon along the

north shore of the Sea of Galilee, past Kedar, to Aram ;

wherefore in Isaiah ix. it is called ' the way of the sea,'

^ The word 'space' means in modern language longitude, and
' square ' latitude. Compare Poloner, passun.

2 Ludolph, p. 82 ; Isa. xvi. i, in the Vulgate.

3 Bozrah, or Bostra, is intended, in Bashan, not in Idumaea.

4 Heshbon, now Hesbdn. Othonaym, possibly Kirjathaim {Kureiyat).
Macheronta, or Machaerus [el Mekhaur)^\s confused with Mahanaim,
further north in Gilead, and with Hachilah (Haylon), west of the Dead
Sea.

5 Ayr (on map layr) is perhaps a clerical error for Tayr or Sayr,
with springs (Anoth). It seems to be Tyrus ('Ardk el Emtr)^ in
South Gilead.

^ Sethyn is not on the map.

7 Jiaalgad is placed north-east of the tomb of Job {Sheikh S'ad), or
near Damascus, at the east foot of Hermon.

Mount Sanyr (Shenir), or Seir (for Sirion), is not Hermon on the
map, but apparently the hill of Bashan {/ebel ed Driiz), or else the
Jaulan range. The map is too confused to make certain, and Sirion
is throughout confused with Seir. Kedar (see Burchard) is Gamala
{el Hosn), on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

because it passes all along the shore of the Sea of Galilee,
crossing the valley in the land of Asher, which now is
called St. George's Valley, having the city of Salet on the
left hand.^ This part is called ' Galilee of the nations it is
also called Beyond Jordan, because it leads beyond Jordan
to the country called Aran:i. This country is also said to
be in Galilee of the Gentiles,, because Galilee itself ends
there at the Jordan. In the sixth space, the thirteenth
square, is Sueta,^ from whence came Bildad the Shuhite.'^
Under the walls of this city, on the side toward Kedar, the
Saracens from Aram, Mesopotamia, Haman, Syria, Moab,
Ammon, and all parts of the East, are wont to meet
together, round about the spring Phiale and there, because
the place is pleasant, they hold a fair all through the
summer, and set up tents of divers colours, which afford
an exceeding beauteous sight from the city of Kedar.-^
These in Solomon's Song are called the tents of Kedar. In
(square) thirty-nine is Bashan ; in fifty-three, Jazer.*^ In
the seventh space, and the eleventh square, is Job's sepul-
chre one league from thence begins the ascent of Mount
Sanyr. In the twenty-fourth is Gadara. In the thirty-
third is Ephraim. In the twenty-sixth, Phanuel. [In the

^ St. George's Valley is that in which el E^aneh stands, east of Acre,
with the shrine of el Khudr (St. George) close by. The Via Maris
(Isa. ix. i) was supposed to lead from the Sea of Galilee to Acre,
along the foot of the mountains of Upper Galilee. Salet is not on the
map ; perhaps a mistake for Safed.

2 Sueta, or Suethe (the ' black land^), was the mediaeval name of the
Jaulan.

3 Theoderich, chap. xlix.

4 Lake Phiale is in the Jaulan, but the map shows it south of Sheikh
S'ad in the Hauran, the whole topography being here out of position.

5 Cant, i. 5. See John of Wiirzburg, chap. xxv.

^ Jazer (on map Jacor) is placed close to Jordan, apparently at the
ruin Sdr^ near Tyrus, in Gilead.

7 Job's sepulchre is at the traditional site Sheikh S'ad^ in the
Hauran, where Job's stone is still shown.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

thirty-eighth, labes.] In the forty-fifth, Eleale. In the
fiftieth, Sartan.i In the fifty-eighth is the Church of St.
John the Baptist, at the place where Christ was baptized.
In the sixty-second is Engalym,^ above the Dead Sea. In
the eighth space, thirtieth square, is Pella.^ In the forty-
first, Ernon. In the forty-eighth, Betesmuth.* In the
sixty-first, Bethhoglah,^ where the children of Israel
mourned for Jacob, their father, when they brought him out
of Egypt; it is one league distant from the Jordan. In
the ninth space, twenty-second square, is Chorazim,^ at the
beginning of the Sea of Galilee. In the twenty-seventh is
Gerasa,*" from which the country of the Gerasenes takes its
name. In the thirty-eighth is Sochor.^ In the fifty-eighth,
Jericho, described already in Part L, chap. iii. In the eighty-
third is Afasantomar.^ In space ten, square thirty-eight,

^ Gadara {^Uniin Keis), Ephraim (for Ephron), Phanuel (Penuel),
labes (Jabesh Gilead), Elealeh {el ^Al), and Sartan (Zaretan), seem
only placed by guess along the east of Jordan.

2 The Church of St. John {Kzisr el Yelmd), and Engalym {'Ain
Hajlah'), but En Eglaim (Ezek. xlvii. lo) was probably east of the
Dead Sea,

3 Pella is apparently at Fahil, the true site. Fabri, ii. 185, 235.

4 Betesmuth, for Beth Jeshimoth {SiiweiineK)^ at the north-east
corner of the Dead Sea, is shown on the map too high up the Jordan
Valley. Ernon seems to be for Arnon.

5 Bethhoglah, at Kiisr Hajlah.

6 Chorazim, Chorozain, or Corocaym (on the map), stand for
Chorazin, wrongly placed east of the Jordan, and apparently con-
founded with Khersa and the Gergesenes.

7 Gerasa is placed close to the Sea of Galilee (perhaps at Khersa)
on the map. The real site at Jerdsh^ in east of Gilead, is not
shown.

8 Sochor is an error for Sochot, placed on the map v.'est of Jordan.
Succoth [ Tell Derala) was east of the river.

9 Afasantomar is shown on the map at the south-west corner of the
Dead Sea. Probably Ephes-Dammim (in the Valley of Elah) is here
confused with the ascent of Adummim {TaPal ed Dum7n)^ above
Jericho, which has just been mentioned.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

is Salim.^ In forty-one was built the altar of wondrous
size. In forty-nine is Docus, having behind it, on the north
side, the land of Tampne.^ In Docus, Ptolemy, the son of
Abubus, took Simon Maccabeus^ by treachery. From
Docus there is a fine view to the east, toward Pisgah, and
to the south, even to Jericho. In fifty-six is Gilgal,^ where
the children of Israel were circumcised, and where they
abode for a long time. Near to Gilgal comes the Valley of
Achor, so called because Achan was stoned there.^ In the
eleventh space Lebanon is divided from Mount Hermon,
at the foot whereof, on the north side, stands Damascus.
Damascus is described in Part VI., chap. xix. In this
part of the mountain is the road leading to Hamath.^ In
square twenty is the mount called the Table, where the
Lord filled five thousand men ; it was here that He preached
the Sermon on the Mount, and spent the night in prayer.
From this mount one can see all the country round about
for ten leagues and more ; the mount is two bow-shots
long, and a stone's-throw wide.'^ At its foot springs a
fountain, near the Sea of Galilee, thirty paces distant from

^ Salym, or Salim, is apparently in the Jordan Valley, near Beisan.
The name is not now known in this region.

2 Docus is ^Am Dilk^ north of Jericho, at the foot of Ouarentania.
The land of Tampne was the plateau east of the Samaritan mountains,
from Taiiwiiin southwards.

3 I Mace. xvi. 15, 16.

4 Gilgal seems to have been placed between Jericho {er Rika) and
Elisha's Fountain (^Ai?t es Sultan), or sometimes further north, and
not at the true site {Tell JiljiVieh), north-east of er Riha.

5 The Valley of Achor is at Wddy el Kelt.

^ Damascus is wrongly shown on the map west of Hermon and
north-east of Dan; the 'entrance to Hamath' is shown south of
Damascus.

7 The scene of feeding the multitude with five loaves was shown on
the north of the Sea of Galilee, on the slope rising from Khan Minieh,
where, rather higher up, is now shown the M'aseret ^A/sa, or 'wine-
press of Jesus.' The fountain is either that at Mlm'e/i, or 'Aln Tab-
ghah.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

it, which tliey call the vein of the Nile, because it produces
the fish corconus, which is found nowhere else save in the
Nile. Twenty paces from that fountain, along the shore
of the Sea of Galilee, is the place where, after His resur-
rection, Christ appeared to the seven disciples when they
were fishing ; and ten paces further is the place where the
disciples, when they were come out of the ship, beheld live
coals, and fish laid thereon.^ In twenty-one is Capernaum,^
near the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, two leagues
distant. In it used to be shown the house and place to sit
by the King's highway,^ from whence Matthew was called
by Christ. In fifty-one is Fasael,^ three leagues distant from
the Jordan, in the plain country, where the brook Cherith
comes down from the mountain, in which place Elijah
dwelt when the ravens brought him meat (i Kings xxii.).
In fifty-seven is Quarentana,^ where Christ fasted ; but they
declare that He was tempted on another mountain, two
leagues away, toward Bethel and Ai in the south. Beneath
Quarentana, two bow-shots away from it, is Elisha's foun-
tain, which he sweetened ; it flows round about Gilgal, on
the southern side thereof, and there turns great mills ; after
this it is divided into watercourses, waters many gardens,
and at last runs into Jordan. In the twelfth space, in the
twenty-second square, is Bethsaida, the city of Peter,
Andrew, and Philip ; it stands by the side of the way lead-
ing from Syria into Egypt, where the sea begins to trend
to the southward.^ In twenty-eight is Tiberias, from which

I John xxi. 9. 2 Capernaum is here placed at 7>// I/ihn.

3 This site was placed near Bethsaida of Galilee, at Sheikh Seiydd,
near Minieh.

4 Fasael is at ^Ain Fusail^ in the Jordan Valley (Phasaelis), but
Cherith was probably east, not west, of Jordan.

5 Quarentana is Jebel Koruntitl, with Elisha's Fountain {^Ain es
Sultan) near its foot.

^ Bethsaida of Galilee is placed at Sheikh Seiydd^ a small shrine
near Minieh.

the sea is called the Sea of Tiberias ; of old it was called
Gennesaret. It extends far along the sea-shore, and on
its south side there are medicinal baths. At Tiberias ends
the region called Decapolis ; its boundaries are : on the east,
the Sea of Galilee ; on the west, Sidon — and this is its
width : in length it reaches from Tiberias all along the
north side of the Sea of Galilee, even to Damascus. It is
called Decapolis from its ten principal cities, which are
Tiberias, Safet, Kedesh-Naphtali, Hazor, Caesarea, Caper-
naum, Janapara, Bethsaida, Chorazim, and Bethsan, also
called Scythopolis.^ This country is also called by divers
names, for it is called Decapolis, Ituraea, Roob, Kabul,
and Galilee of the Gentiles ; howbeit Ituraea reaches even
to Beyrout, which is some twenty leagues to the north of
Sodon.- In fifty-nine is the castle Adummim, which stands
on the right hand, on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho.^
In seventy-two is Herodium,^ where Herod was buried. In
sixty-seven is Massada,^ an impregnable fortress built by
Herod on the hill Achillas. In the thirteenth space, twenty-
fourth square, is Magdalum,^ the castle of Mary Magdalen ;
it has a great plain fit for pasture on its west and north
sides. In forty-seven is Ammon,'' which stands in a fair

^ The names given as those of cities of Decapolis are wrong in
every case except Scythopolis (Beisan), Decapolis being east of
Jordan, not west. Janapara is apparently an error for Jotapata. Roob
(Rehob), Kabul (near Acre), and Galilee of the Gentiles, were not in
Decapolis.

2 Sodon for Sidon.

3 Adummim is at TaVat ed Duuivi. Josh. xv. 7, xviii. 17 ; Fabri,
ii. 65-73, 188.

4 Herodium is probably at Jebel Fureidis, but shown further east on
the map.

5 Massada is at Sebbeh^ which is, however, wrongly identified with
the hill Hachilah, near Maon and Carmel, further north-west.

^ Magdalum is at Mejdel, in correct position, north of Tiberias.

7 Ammon, for Rabbath Ammon i^Amindfi), is shown on the map
north of Elealeh and south of Jabesh Gilead in correct relative posi-
tion.'

place, and abounds with all manner of good things. In
fifty-six is Ai, mentioned already in Part I., chap. iii. In
sixty-nine is the city of Ziph, near the wilderness ; also
called Zif, where David hid himself. Immediately to the
south of it is the wilderness of Maon, wherein is the Mount
Carmel,^ where Nabal dwelt. In the fourteenth space,
second square, is Suba, which in Solomon's Song is called
the Tower of Lebanon.^ In fifteen is Kadesh-Naphtali,^
whence came Barak, the son of Abinoam, who fought
against Sisera on Mount Tabor ; this was one of the cities
of refuge, and was exceeding fertile. In forty-three is
Bethulia in thirty-one, Belvoir.^ In thirty-four is Bethsan,
also called Scythopolis, standing between Gilboa and the
Jordan. On its walls they hung the heads of Saul and of
his sons.^ In forty-three is Tirsah,^ where the kings of
Israel first reigned. In fifty-four is Bahurim, and the
stone of Bohan.^ In sixty-three is Tekoa, where Amos
was born, and where he was buried after that King Ahaziah
had struck him through the temples with a javelin ; this
city is near the wilderness of Tekoa. Between Tekoa
and Engaddi is the Valley of Blessing,^ where Jehoshaphat
overthrew the Idumaeans and the children of Ammon. In
the fifteenth space, thirtieth square (is the place where)
Barak fought against Sisera. In the thirty-third is (the

1 Ai is placed east of Bethel. Zif {Tell Zif), Maon {M^aiji), Carmel
{Kurinul), were known, but are shown badly on the map.

2 Suba (and Sobal) stands for Zobah, the south part of Syria near
Damascus.

3 Kadesh-Naphtali at Kcdes is correct.

4 Bethulia was shown close to Safed, following the twelfth-century
view as to Dothan.

5 Belvoir is Kaukab el Hawa, north of Beisan.

6 Bethsan, for Bethshean, is now Beisdn.

7 Tirsah is either Talluza or Teiasir^ north-east of Shechem.

^ Bahurim was placed east of Bethany (Burchard and map), but
the stone of Bohan was near Gilgal, much further east.

9 The Valley of Blessing (Berachah) is now Wddy BrelMf,hetween
Ttkoci{Teku'a) and Engedi {'Ai?i Jidy).

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

place of) Saul's last battle. In fifty-four is Deborah's
palm-tree, whereof we read in Judg. iv. 5.^ In fifty-five is
Bethel, or Luz, where Jacob saw the ladder. In fifty-seven
is Ephraim f in fifty-nine, Bethany. In sixty-two is the
Tower of the Flock,^ or Ader.* In sixty-seven is Bosra,^
or Bethsur. In the sixteenth space, nineteenth square, is
Safet.^ In twenty-two, Nephthali of Tobit.'' In twenty-
five, Dothan, at the foot of Mount Bethulia, a place rich in
trees and meadow-land. On this plain is shown the pit
into which Joseph was cast ; it is near the road leading to
Gilead, which at Bethsaida joins the road that leads from
Syria into Egypt ; it goes up from Dothan, near Mount
Bethulia,^ and thence proceeds across the plain of Esdraelon,
along the foot of Mount Tabor on the left hand across the
plain of Megiddo, ascends Mount Ephraim, and leads
through Gaza into Egypt. The word * Dothan ' means both
the town and the valley. It was in the Valley of Dothan
that the S}Tians compassed about Elisha (2 Kings vi.), and
he led them into the midst of Samaria. In thirty-seven is
Beeroth f in forty-five is Dan,^^ where the golden calf was.

1 Deborah's palm-tree is apparently placed at 'Attdrah^ north of
Bireh.

2 Ephraim is in the traditional position at Taiyibeh. Ophrah,
Josh, xviii. 23 ; i Sam. xiii. 17.

3 Gen. XXXV. 21.

4 The Tower Eder or Ader is at the traditional site— the Shepherd's
Plain, east of Bethlehem.

5 Bosra or Bethsur is at Beit Sur^ north of Hebron.
° Safet, now Safed.

1 Nephtali (Tob. i. 2), apparently at Kadesh-Naphtali [Kedes),
following the Vulgate.

* Mount Bethulia is the hill on which Safed stands. Dothan, as in
the twelfth century a.d., is placed at Khan Jubb Vthef {he inn of
Joseph's pit'), near Minieh, on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee,
close to Bethsaida {^Sheikh Seiydd).

9 Beeroth, at Bireh^ is shown on the map near Gaba {Jeb'a), Judg.
ix. 46.

^° Dan is shown on the map both at the source of Jordan, and also

i8 SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

In fifty-six is Rama; they think that this is the place men-
tioned by Jeremiah : * In Rama^ was a voice heard.' There
is also another Rama near Tekoa, on the road that leads
to Hebron ; another in the tribe of Naphtali, not far from
the castle of Saphet ; another near Sepphoni, and Shiloh
is another. All these stand upon high hills. There is yet
another near Lydda, whereof mention is made in Part VI.,
chap, iv.^ In fifty-nine is Jerusalem, the Holy City, described
above, Part VII., chap, ii., and hereafter in chap. vii. In
sixt}'-one is Rachel's tomb. In seventy is Hebron, to the
right of Mambre. Old Hebron,^ wherein David reigned
for seven years, stands on a high hill, and is in ruins.
Three bow-shots to the south thereof is New Hebron, where
the double cave was. A long bow-shot to the west of the
cave is the field of Damascus, mentioned above (Part VII.,
chap, ii.).* A bow-shot to the south of where they dug out
the field is the place where Cain killed Abel. Two bow-
shots from this same trench, to the west, on a hill on the
south side of Old Hebron, there is a cave in the rock
measuring thirty feet in width, and the same in length,

at the foot of Gerizim. The sites of Bethel and Dan appear to have
been placed both close to Shechem (following a Samaritan view as to
Bethel or Luz on Gerizim — Khurbet Lozeh), and the two sanctuaries
of Jeroboam were thus supposed to have been both at Gerizim.

1 Jer. xxxi. 15 ; Matt. ii. 17, 18. Cf. Fabri, ii. 403.

2 Ramah at er Ra?7t is first noticed. Rdinet el KhalU^ north of
Hebron, is that near Tekoa. Rdmeh in Naphtali (south-west of
Safed) is the third. Sepphoni stands for Rarnathaim Zophim.
Shiloh is placed, as in the twelfth century, at Nebi Samwil. The
Rama near Lydda is Rainleh^ wrongly supposed to be Rarnathaim
Zophim in the twelfth century.

3 Fabri, ii. 409.

4 This is the field from whence the red earth was taken of which
Adam was made. It is mentioned by almost every pilgrim. Cf.
Fabri, ii. 411 ; Poloner, p. 22 ; John of Wiirzburg, chap. xxi. ; Theo-
derich, vi. ; Anon, vi., init. ; Fetellus, p. 8. Abbot Daniel, chap, liii.,
describes Hebron at length, but was not shown the field.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

wherein Adam and Eve mourned for Abel. Their bed-
places are shown there, and a fountain of water springs
there. In seventy-three is Debir, or Kirjath-Sepher.^ In
space seventeen, square six, is Lachish, which the children
of Dan took and called it Lesedan, after the name of their
father. It is also called simply Dan, and Caesarea Phi-
lippi ; it is now called Belinas.- Before the gate of this
city the (rivers) Jor and Dan meet, and form the Jordan.
In thirteen is the tent of Heber the Kenite. In seventeen
is Kabul.^ The Saracens call this place Castle Zebulon,
which names do not agree with i Kings ix. In twenty-
four is Abelina.^ In thirty-one is the place where Gideon
fought against Amalek. In forty-three is Sebaste, or
Samaria ; the site of the city was exceeding beauteous,
and commanded a wide prospect over the sea, from Mount
Carmel to Joppa.^ In forty-five is Shechem, now Neapolis;
two bow-shots from it is Jacob's Well, whereof we read in
Josh. iv. (?). On the right hand is Gerizim, which is
thought to have been the place pointed to by the woman
of Samaria, when she said, ' Our fathers worshipped in this
mountain on the left is the town which is thought to be
the ancient Shechem. The second Shechem is thought to
be the village of Thebes.^ They are two bow-shots apart
from one another. Moreover, the estate which Jacob gave
to Joseph adjoins this well, and is a long, fertile, and ex-

1 Debir is shown south of Hebron, perhaps at the true site, ed/t
Dhaheriyeh^ where a mediaeval tower exists.

2 Dan at the source of Jordan {Tell el Kddy) is confused with
Belinas (Paneas or Caesarea Philippi) at Banids. Lachish is an error
for Laish or Dan.

3 Kabul is here placed at Nebi Sebeldn^ in Upper Galilee, the true
site KabUl being further south-west.

4 Abelina is not Abilene, but apparently Arbela {Irbid)^ shown on
the map between Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee.

5 Neither Carmel nor Joppa is visible from Samaria.

^ Thebes is Thebez, now Tubas, north-east of Shechem.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

ceeding beauteous valley. Joseph's bones are buried in
Shechem. In fifty-four is Magina, now Bira/ the boundary
of the tribe of Ephraim. In fifty-five is Gibeah of Saul,
where the wife of the Levite was killed (Judg. xix. 14), and
where Saul was born^ (i Sam. x. 29). In fifty-seven is
Astaroth (? Anathoth).^ In sixty-one is Bethsara. In
sixty-three is Bezet.^ In sixty-six, Beth-haccerem,^ a city
standing on a high hill. In sixty-seven is Rama, on a high
hill, from whence all Arabia can be seen, even to Mount
Seyr, and David's hiding-places, and all round about the
Dead Sea, even to Mount Abarim ; and to the west, all
the sea-shore from Ramatha even to Beersheba and the
wilderness of Sur.^ In sixty-nine is Mambre, where Abraham
dwelt, and there is the oak which Jerome tells us remained
alive until the time of the Emperor Theodosius, and con-
tinually grew greater. From it grew that which at this
present is to be seen there, and is held in reverence. This
tree, albeit dry, yet is proved to be medicinal ; for if a
horseman carries a piece of it with him, his beast will not
founder.'^ In space eighteen, square eleven, is Hazor,^ a
very strong city (Josh. xi. i). In twenty-one is Naason,^ in

^ Magina, or Maginas, is shown on the map at Bireh; perhaps
corrupt for Mahumeria, which was a twelfth-century name for this
place.

2 Gibeah of Saul is at Jcb\i^ near Michmash.

3 Anathoth and Astaroth are shown near each other on the map,
not at 'Andta, but at 'Aitdra, near Gibeah.

4 Bethsara is apparently Beit Sah^ir el ^Atikah, but shown east of
Jerusalem on the map. Bezet is placed west of Bethlehem.

5 Beth-haccerem is apparently Jebel Fureidis. Neh. iii. 14 ; Jer.
vi. I.

6 Rama is Rdmet el Khalil^ but the view is not so extensive as
described. Sur stands for Shur.

7 A common mediaeval pilgrim legend.

2 Hazor or Asor on the map stands at the source of the Leontes
River.

9 Niason is shown on the map near the north side of the plain

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

the valley. In thirty is Endor.^ In thirty-five, Jezreel, on
the western side of Mount Gilboa, on a somewhat high
place ; it is now called Carethi.- Before its gates is shown
Naboth's vineyard. Near the city rises a fountain. A
bow-shot away from Jezreel there is an exceeding fine view
of the whole of Galilee, even to the mountains of Phoenicia,
and Mount Tabor, and Carmel, and Mount Ephraim. In
thirty-eight is Zamin, or Zilim,^ where Christ cleansed the
ten lepers^ In forty-six is the temple on IMount Gerizim,
mentioned above (Part I., chap, x.), and there over against
it is Ebal, where Joshua built an altar and offered burnt
sacrifices to the Lord. He also wrote Deuteronomy, that
is, according to some authorities, the commandment from
one of the two.^ He set one part of the people with priest
and Levites on Ebal, and another party with priests and
Levites on Gerizim, and they invoked blessings and curses
in turn, even as Moses had commanded them. In forty-
nine is Lepna, a fine village ; there is another Lempna in
the tribe of Juda.^ In fifty-eight is Bethhoron the lower.'*'
In sixty-one is Zachariah's house, where Mary greeted
Elizabeth.^ In space nineteen, square twenty-six, is Kuma,
where Jonah was buried, and whence he was translated to

Asochis. It probably stands for Nasor (Hazor) at Hazziir^ south-
west of Safed, following the corrupt reading (in i Mace. xi. 67), Plain
of Xasor, for Plain of Hazor.
» Endor is at Andur.

^ Jezreel is at Zerin. For Carethi the map has Gerayn, a common
mediaeval spelling for Zerayn.

3 Zilim might be SUeli, north of Samaria, but the map shows Zilim
at Gerayn.

^ Luke xvii. 12.

5 Deuteronomium, id est, mandata tantum de utro, secundum
aliquos.

^ Lepna is Lebonah, at Khan Liibben. Lempna star.ns for Libnah
in Judah.

7 Bethhoron is at Beit ' Ur et Tahta.
^ Zachariah's house is at 'Ain Kdrim.

Ravenna.^ In twenty-eight is Tabor ; in thirty, Naim,^
where Christ raised the widow's son from the dead. In
thirty-three Ahab fought against the Syrians. In thirty-
five, Pharaoh Necho slew Josiah. In fifty-six is Shiloh, on
a hill : this place is called St. Samuel's ;^ it is more than a
league distant from Gibeah of Saul, and the like distance
from Ramatha. Here the ark abode for a long time, and
the tabernacle of the covenant, which Moses made. In
fifty-seven is Gibeon,^ from whence the Gibeonites came
and made a deceitful treaty with Joshua (Josh, xxii.), at
the foot of a hill. In fifty-eighth is Nob (i Sam. xxii. 19),
where Saul ordered the priests to be slain.^ In sixty-eight
is Neel Eshcol,^ whence two men bore the bunch of grapes.
In the twentieth space, thirty-fourth square, is Shunem, on
the side of Hermon,^ on the left-hand side of the way that
leads to Jezreel. Elisha was often at this place on his way
from Carmel to Gilgal (2 Kings iv. 8). From thence he
passed by Bethshan into the plain country of Jordan,
because the road is less hilly. From Shunem came Abishag
the Shunamite, David's handmaid (i Kings i.). In forty-
six is Timnath-serah,^ where Joshua was buried. In fift)^-

^ Kuma is for Ruma, as on the map, the present el Mesh-hed, with
a tomb of Jonah ; the ancient Gath Hepher. A ruin Rumeh exists
further north-east.

2 Nairn is for Nain, at Nein.

3 Shiloh, as in the twelfth century, is at Nebi Sainwil^ west of
Gibeah {Jeb'd) and Ramatha {er Ram).

4 Gibeon is at el Jib.

5 Nob is at Beit Nnba^ which is too far west to be the true site, but
was accepted in the twelfth century.

*^ Neel Eshcol is for Nachal Eshcol^ 'the brook Eshcol,' shown
north-west of Hebron on the map, and near Philip's Fountain, south-
west of Jerusalem. Fabri ii. 424 ; Num. xiii. 23.

7 Shunem, on Mount Hermon, is Stilem, the correct site, on the
south slope of Jebel Nebi Dhdhy^Vwo-^w in the twelfth century as Little
Hernion.

3 Timnath-serah is apparently at Kefr Hdris^ 'the true site, south of
Sheciiem.

eight is Succoth, and in fifty-nine Emmaus, now Sycopolis
(Nicopolis).i . Hard by is Bethshemesh, called ' of Judah/
to distinguish it from the other, which is in Ephraim.^ In
sixty-six is Ziklag.^ In space twenty-one, square nineteen,
is St. George's,^ where that saint is believed to have been
born. It is a village lying in the hill country, in a rich and
fair valley that reaches even to the Sea of Galilee in the
tribe of Asher, whereof it is said in Genesis, * Out of Asher
his bread shall be fat' (Gen. xlix. 20). In twenty-seven is
Nazareth ; in thirty is Mezraa. In thirty-one is Castrum
Fabae and Rumae Afet,^ beyond the way that leads to
Jezreel, in the great plain of Jezreel or plain of Migiddo,
otherwise called the Plain of Faba, or of Lower Galilee, or
the plain country of Galilee. This plain reaches from
Tiberias past Bethshan to Megiddo and Mount Ephraim,
and comes back by Mount Tabor and Bethulia to Tiberias.
In fifty-three is Aretha.^ In fifty-seven is Kirjath-jearim.^
In sixty-one is the place where the eunuch was baptized.^
In space twenty-two, square fourteen, is Toron,^ a very
strong castle, built by the Lord of Tiberias for a defence
against Tyre ; it is seven leagues distant from Tyre. For
Tyre see Part VI., chap. v. In twenty-two is Cana of
Galilee. In twenty-five is Sephorum, for which places see

^ Succoth is shown on the map near Nicopolis. It stands for
Shochoh (see Burchard), but where shown is not clear.

2 Bethshemesh is at ^Ain Shems. There was no Bethshemesh in
Ephraim, but one in Naphtali and one in Issachar.

3 Ziklag is shown in the Hebron hills. 4 St. George is at Lydda.
5 Castrum Fabae is Fuleh ('the bean'). Aphet is an error for

Aphel (^AfiileJi). Mezraa, shown to the north, is the ruin el Mezraak
— all lying west of Shunem and south of Nazareth.

^ Aretha (on the map Arecha) might be ^Ain 'Arik, being placed
north-west of Nebi Samwil.

7 Kirjath-jearim is shown west of Nob.

^ The fountain of the eunuch is at the traditional Philip's Fountain
(J Am Haninah)^ south-west of Jerusalem.
9 Toron is at Tib7im^ in Upper Galilee.

24 SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

hereafter, chap, vii.^ In fifty-five is Maceda.^ In seventy-
seven, Blanche Garde,^ for which see Part VL, chap, xviii.
In space twenty-three, square twenty-eight, is Castle Royal,*
belonging to the Teutonic Order ; it abounds with fruits
and all good things, and few fruits are found round about
it. In thirty-five is Megiddo or Sububa.^ In fifty-seven is
Lachish.^ In sixty-two, the tomb of the Maccabees.'^ This
may be seen from the sea, because the place stands high.
In seventy-two is Timnatha.^ In space twenty-four, square
eighteen, is Montfort. In square nineteen is ludyn,^ a
castle belonging to the Teutonic Orde'r, on the mountains of
Sharon. In twenty-nine is Kaymont,^^ where Lamech slew
Cain with an arrow. In thirty-six is Kaco, or Anathoth.^^
In fifty is Sharon, on Mount Sharon. In fifty-nine is Beth-
shemesh. In sixty-six is Saraa. In sixty-nine, Staol.^^
In seventy-one, Beersheba, or Ziblin, described in Part VI.
chap. XV. and xviii. In space twenty-five, square fifty-one,

^ Cana is shown due north of Sephorum (Sepphoris), at Khurbet
Kdnah^ as in the twelfth century.

2 Maceda, or Makkedah, is placed east of Lydda, probably as being
near the Valley of Ajalon.

3 Blanche Garde is now Tell es Sdji, near Beit Jibrin.

4 Castle Royal is now M''alia^ in the hills east of Acre.

5 Megiddo is placed in the Plain of Esdraelon, near Sububa, now
Ezbuba^ near Taanach.

^ Lachish is placed somewhere east of Ramleh.

" The tombs of the Maccabees were shown at Latron, as in the
twelfth century.

2 Timnatha is at Tibneh^ in the Valley of Sorek.

9 Montfort {Kufat el Kurein) and ludyn {Jeddin)yNex^ thirteenth-
century castles east of Acre.

^° Kaymont is at Tell Kemiun^ the ancient Jokneam, east of Carmel.

" Kaco is at KdMn^ in the Plain of Sharon. It has no connection
with Anathoth or Manahat.

'2 Saraa and Staol, near Bethshemesh, are for Zoreah and Eshtaol,
now Sur^ah and Eshu^a^ near ^Ain Shems.

'3 Beersheba is placed at Ziblin or Gibelin, now Beit Jibrin^ as in
other mediaeval accounts.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

2S-

is Lydda, or Diospolis.^ In space twenty-six, square fifty-
five, is Rainathaim Zophim,- now Ramula f it is described
in Part VL, chap. iv. In space twenty-seven, square seven,
is Sarepta of the Sidonians f before the southern gate is
shown a chapel in the place where Elijah the prophet came
to the woman of Sarepta, and abode there, and raised her
son from the dead ; moreover, the little chamber is shown
wherein he lodged. In fifteen is Scandalium, described
above. Part VL, chap. viii. In twenty-six is the place where
Elijah slew the prophets of Baal (i Kings xviii.). In sixty-
one is Ekron. In sixty-five is Ashdod,^ for which see
Part VI., chap, xviii. In space twenty-seven, square three,
is Sidon, a great city ; it used to stand in a plain, length-
ways, stretching from south to north, at the foot of Mount
Anti-Lebanon. Out of its ruins another small but strong
city has been built, which on one side stands in the sea, and
has on either side two well-fenced castles, one on the north,
standing on a rock in the sea, built there by German pil-
grims, the other on the south side, standing on a hill.
These castles, together with the town, used to be held by
the Knights Templars. The land there is exceeding rich,
and the air very wholesome. In thirteen. Tyre. In eighteen.
Acre. In twenty-seven, Haifa, for which see Part VL,
chap. iii. In thirty is Pilgrims' Castle. In forty is Caesarea.
In forty-seven is Assur, or Dora, or Antipatris. In fifty-
three, Joppa. In fifty-five, Jews' Harbour,^ near Jamnia.
In fifty-seven, Beroald's Castle. In seventy, Ascalon. In
seventy-seven, Gaza. For all these see the preceding
chapter.

^ Lydda is distinguished from St. George in error. ^ i 5am. i. i.
3 Ramathaim Zophim is wrongly placed at Ra7nleh.
^ Sarepta is at Sura/end, north of Tyre.

5 Ekron is at ^Akir, and Ashdod at Esdud.

6 The Jews' Harbour is apparently at Minet Rubin ^ north of Vebnah ;
the remaining, places in this passage have already been noticed.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

CHAPTER IV.

The Position of the Mountains in the Country
BEYOND Jordan, to the Eastward.

Beyond the way leading to Hamath, described in the
previous chapter, Mount Hermon stretches toward the
east. And take notice that Lebanon and Hermon, and
Seir, or Sanir,^ and Gilead, and the hill country about
the brook Arnon, and the hills between Ammon and
Moab and the Amorites, are all one continuous moun-^
tain, though different parts of it are differently named
after its highest peaks. The highest of these is Mount
Gilead, so that we may take Jeremiah's saying, * Thou art
Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon,'^ as literally
true. The aforesaid Mount Hermon extends for about ten
leagues, after which the range of mountains bends round
toward the south. The first of these mountains is called
Mount Seir, or Sanir. It ends at the foot of Mount
Gilead at a place over against the city of Bethshan and
Mount Gilboa ; the last of them, which is also called Seir,
ends near the wilderness at the southern end of the
Promised Land. This is that whereof we are told in
Genesis that Chedorlaomer^ and other kings with him
smote the Horites in their Mount Seir ; but it was not
then called Seir, because Esau, by whom the mount was
named Seir, was not then born ; wherefore it is be-
lieved to have been so called by anticipation, and in
Deut. iii. (st'c) we read, 'Ye are to pass through the coast
of your brethren, the children of Esau, which dwell in

' Seir is throughout confused with Sirion, which, like Sanir (S/iem'r),
was an old name of Hermon.

2 Jer. xxii. 6. 3 Gen. xiv. 6.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS. 27

Seir.'^ This was said at Kadesh-barnea, when they were
about to come to this Mount Seir ; for we do not read
that the children of Israel at that time came to the Mount
Seir which is near Damascus. Esau dwelt in this mount
when Jacob came back from Mesopotamia, as we read in
Gen. xxxi. how Laban caught Jacob when he stole
away on Mount Gilead ; and when, in the following chapter,
Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him, and
he said, * This is God's camp,'^ and called the name of that
place Mahanaim — that is, camp. The place is on that
same mountain. From thence he sent messengers to Esau,
and the messengers returned and told him that Esau was
coming to meet him, and with him four hundred men.
So Jacob lodged in the camp — that is, in Mahanaim — that
night, and sent presents to his brother. And he rose up
early and took his wives, and his children, and passed over
the ford Jabbok, which is about three leagues from
Mahanaim. And in chap, xxxii. he saw Esau coming,
etc. After this comes, ' So Esau returned that day on his
way unto Seir.'^ This cannot be understood as alluding to
Seir which is near the wilderness, to the south, because it
is more than a hundred miles away ; hovvbeit the children
of Esau may have dwelt in different mountains named
Seir, because of the divers wives whom he married, for he
had one wife Aholibamah,^ the daughter of Anah, the
daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, who dwelt in Scythopolis,
or Bethshan, near the Sea of Galilee, hard by Mount Seir;
and another wife Bashemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of
Nebajoth ; and the children of Huz dwelt in another
Mount Seir hard by the wilderness of Paran, near the
dwelling of Ishmael, their maternal grandfather, of whom

^ Deut. ii. 4.

2 Gen. xxxii. i, 2. The Vulgate reads castra^ the A.V. hosts.

3 Gen. xxiii. 16. 4 Gen. xxxvi. 2.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

we are told, in Gen. xxi. 20, that he dwelt in the wilderness,
and became an archer. There is yet a third Mount Seir,
on the borders of Ashdod and Ascalon, in the lot of the
inheritance of the tribe of Judah they who dwell thereon
are called Idumaeans ; wherefore Antipas, and his son
Herod, who belonged to Ascalon, were called Idumaeans.
We can also divide the whole land beyond Jordan thus :
The first country to the north is Trachonitis, so called
because it lacks rain-water ; but they collect rain-water in
cisterns, and bring them from one place to another by
tracoiies f- in Josh. xi. it is called the plain of Lebanon,
and it reaches even to Kedar^ and the Sea of Galilee. In
the first part thereof is the land of Uz f in the next part,
to the south, is the half-tribe of Manasseh ; then follows
the tribe of Gad at the foot of Mount Gilead ; then the
tribe of Reuben, including the kingdom of Sihon, King of
Heshbon. After this comes the plain country of Moab,
beneath Mount Abarim, in Shittim, where the children of
Israel lay for a long time before Jericho. The land of
Moab reaches even to Petra in the Wilderness, some twenty
leagues. Lastly comes part of the land of Ammon, which
reaches all the length of the Dead Sea ; its south side
reaches round as far as Mount Seir, which joins the
wilderness of Paran, near Kadesh-barnea, having on its
side the wilderness of Sinai and the Dead Sea. But the
country of Moab and the country of Ammon were not
parts of the Proniised Land.

' Mount Seir is near Kirjath Jearim (Josh. xv. 10).

2 This is explained by Fabri, i. 464: tracones = dracones, 'pipes
like snakes.'

3 Kedar is at Gamala {el Hosn), east of the Sea of Galilee.

4 The land of Uz is placed, as in the fourth century, in Bashan, at
Sheikh S^ad. Job i. i ; Lam. iv. 21.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

CHAPTER V.

The Position of the Chief Mountains on this
Side of Jordan.

After Hermon begins Lebanon (see chap, iii.) and
Anti-Lebanon, where is Hazor on the river Eleutherus^
(Part VI., chap. vi.). These mountains extend for a
distance of five days' journey, five leagues beyond Tripoh'.
Beyond these, to the south, comes Mount Sharon (see
above, chap. ii.). One long league from Abilene is Mount
Hethulia, where Judith slew Holofernes. This mount may
be seen from almost all parts of Galilee ; it is a fair mount
and fortified. Toward the west it reaches as far as Cana
of Galilee, and near it on the south side is the valley in the
plain of Dothan, where Judith washed herself, and which
she compassed when she returned to Bethulia. Beneath
this same mount, on the south, a plain reaches from Cana
of Galilee even to Sephorus,- and it is fertile and pleasant.
After this comes another mountain to the south, which
reaches from Nazareth on the west some eight leagues to
the east, where is Dothan.^ Two leagues from Nazareth
is Mount Tabor, described hereafter in chap, vii., and
beyond Mount Tabor, to the east, is the Valley of Shaveh,
which is the King's dale.* One league from Mount Tabor
is Mount Hermon,^ a small hill, joining which is Hermo-
niim, a rising ground rather than a mount. It adjoins
Mount Tabor, and on it is Endor, where dwelt the woman

^ See chaps, ii., iii. Asor is at the source of the Litany River.

2 Sephorus is for Sepphoris {Seffurieh). See chap. iii.

3 Dothan is at Khan Jubb Yusef. See chap. iii.

4 Moslem traditions still point to a meeting of Abraham and
Alexander the Great at the foot of Tabor. Gen. xiv. 15.

5 Little Hermon is now Jebel Nebi Dhdhy^ south of Tabor.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

that had a familiar spirit (i Sam. xviii.). Hermon, on
whose north side is Nairn, extends some four leagues
toward the end of the Sea of Galilee. At the foot of the
mountains of Nazareth, Tabor, and Hermon, by the sea,
is Mount Carmel, at the very end of which, to the south-
east, Lamech slew Cain with an arrovv.^ For a description
of Carmel, see above. To the south, beyond Hermon, are
the mountains of Gilboa ; they reach from Bethshan to
Jezreel to the east for three leagues. Hard by this place,
a bow-shot away, rises the fountain of Jezreel, where the
Philistines pitched their camp when Saul was on Gilboa.
Another brook runs down from Hermon between this
fountain and Bethshan, joins the fountain, and they flow
together across the midst of the valley to the Jordan.
This valley measures some two leagues in width, and in it
Gideon fought against Midian (Judg. xii.), and Ahab
fought against the Syrians (i Kings ix.). In this plain
also, on the side toward Jordan, begins the illustrious
valley,- which extends as far as the Dead Sea. After
Gilboa, to the south, comes Beeroth, where the mountains
of Samaria begin. Between them and Jordan is about
three leagues, in which lies the land of Timnath,^ which
contains very lofty mountains and reaches down to the
plain country of Jordan. The mount whereon Beeroth
stands, two leagues off, splits into two mountains towards
the south. On that to the west, which is a high mount,
Jeroboam set up one of the golden calves, and he set up
the other half a league away on the still higher mount

' Jokneam (7>// Keiimhi)^ close to Carmel, was called in the twelfth
century Caymont, or Cain Mons, from this legend.

2 The Vulgate reads (Gen. xii.), ' Pertransivit Abram terram usque
ad locum Sichem, usque ad convallem illustrem,' etc., where the A.V.
has, 'And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem,
unto the plain of Moreh.'

3 The land of Timnath or Tampne {Tamimhz). See chap. iii.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

toward the east ; albeit some think that it was in Dan,
which is called Lachish.^ In the valley between these two
mountains is Shechem, now Neapolis, an exceeding pleasant
place ; but it cannot be fortified, because stones can be
cast into the town from the mountains on either side
thereof. For an account of these mountains, see chap. iii.
After this, to the south, comes the hill country of Judaea
and Jerusalem. For an account of Jerusalem, Sion, and
the neighbourhood, see chaps, vi. and vii., and for Quaran-
tena see chap. iii. Beyond Quarantena, to the south,
stands Engaddi_, an exceeding lofty mountain, on the west
shore of the Dead Sea : it is of a strange shape, having
precipitous rocks and valleys. It was in Engaddi that the
plants of balsam used to grow ; but in the days of Herod
of Ascalon, Queen Cleopatra, by the favour of Mark Antony,
took them away to Egypt, where Christians alone can tend
them. At the end of Engaddi is Mount Carmel,- where
Nabal dwelt ; beyond that is Amalek ; and yet further,
toward the Red Sea, is Kadesh-barnea, whence Moses sent
out the spies. Here the children of Israel abode for a long
time, and thence were bidden to journey round about
Mount Seir, which is in Idumaea, near the wilderness of
Maon, to the south-east ; from thence they came back by
the way of the Red Sea. The wilderness of Maon^ is
described in chap. iii. ; Mount Bethlehem, chap. x. ; Mount
Ramah, chap. iii. Let this suffice as regards mountains.

^ The golden calves are supposed by the author to have been made
near Shechem, where he shows Dan on his map, Lachish is an error
for Laish.

2 Engaddi (Engedi, 'Am Jidy) is below the ridge on which Carmel
of Judah {Kurmul) stands, to the west.

3 Maon is Tell M'ain^ near Kurniul.

32 SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

CHAPTER VI.

The Course of the Waters and Rivers of the
Holy Land.

Jordan rises at the foot of Lebanon (chap. iii.). They
say that the brook Dan has its source in the fountain called
Phiale/ which is always full and never overflows. It lies in
the sixth space and the eighteenth square. This they say
because straws put into that spring are found again in Dan ;
wherefore they say that it is the true source of the Jordan.
The Saracens, therefore, call this fount Madan, that is,
being interpreted, the water of Dan. St. Mark calls it
Dalmanutha ; St. Matthew, Magdala."^ Beginning in this
fashion, the stream of Jordan divides Ituraea from the
country of Trachonitis. It flows at first toward the east,
but afterwards toward the south. About half-way between
its source and the Sea of Galilee it enters a valley, where
it spreads into a swamp when the snow melts on Mount
Lebanon. This is called the Lake of Merom, and is the
place where Joshua fought with Jabin, King of Hazor, and
twenty-four other kings. This water nearly all dries up in
summer, and bushes grow up, wherein lions, bears, and
such-like creatures have their dens, and royal sport may be
had there.^ Flowing onward from thence, the Jordan enters
the Sea of Galilee between Capernaum and Chorazin.*
The sea is so named after the adjacent province of Galilee ;

' Lake Phiale {Birket er Rdiii)^ in Golan, is shown too far south on
the map, near the Sea of Galilee.

2 Madan v/as probably el Meiddn, 'the open plain.' It is confused
with Magdala {Mejdel)^ west of the Sea of Galilee. Mark viii. lo ;
Matt. XV. 39.

3 Et sunt ibi venationes regiae. Compare Poloner 27, who says,
'Et sunt ibi delectabiles venationes.' Abbot Daniel, 59.

*• Chorazin (see chap, iii.) is wrongly placed east of Jordan.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

it is also called the Sea of Tiberias, after the nearest city ;
and the Sea of Gennesaret, because, according to Bede,^
its curling waves continually breed wind, or else from the
little tract named Gennesaret, past which it flows. Ac-
cording to Bede, it measures one hundred and forty stadia
in length, and forty in breadth. After this Jordan flows
to the southward, and enters the Dead Sea, which divides
Arabia from Judaea ; it extends toward the south thirty-five
leagues, more or less, that is, even to Kadesh-barnea, and
the wilderness of Paran ; and some think that it is a con-
tinuation of the Red Sea. The space between these two
seas is reckoned to be five days' journey, and men think that
the waters on the way, which in Exod. xv. are called the
waters of Marah, come from these seas. Some declare that
the waters of Jordan do not enter the Dead Sea, but when
they come thither are drunk up by the earth ; but those who
know say that they both enter it and leave it, and that at last
the water of Jordan is drunk up by the earth a little way
further on ; wherefore the sea rises when Jordan rises, as
the snow melts on Lebanon and the other mountains, and
after much rain. This sea always smokes, and is as dark
as the chimney of hell. The brook Jabbok flows into
Jordan on the east side ; it rises in space two, square forty-
five, and flows sometimes to the west and sometimes to the
north ; it enters the Jordan three leagues from the Sea of
Galilee. In like manner the brook Arnon rises on Mount
Pisgah, and enters Jordan below Jaazer.^ Similarly, two
other streams enter the Dead Sea, one at the beginning
thereof, and the other beyond it, nine leagues to the south.
On the west, the stream which Josephus calls the Little

^ The reference is to Bede, ' Concerning the Holy Places.^ See
Arculfus, p. 80, in this series.

2 Arnon (see map) is confused with the stream at Tyrus in Gilead,
where Jazer (on map lacer) was shown in the fourth century (Onom-
asticon) at Khurbet Sdr.

34 SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

Jordan enters the Dead Sea ; it rises near Castle Royal,
and is joined by another stream that comes from nearCabul;^
it enters the Sea of GaHlee near Bethsaida.^ Near the same
place, but more to the south, another stream enters it,
which stream comes from the springs on the sides of
Dothan ; and near Magdala another stream, coming from
Mount Bethulia, enters the sea. The brook Kishon also
rises at the foot of Mount Tabor, on the east side, where
Barak fought with Sisera. This brook Kishon is formed
by the rain that falls upon Mount Tabor, Mount Hermon,
and the little hill of Hermon ; one part thereof runs down
to the end of the Sea of Galilee, while the other part runs
into the Mediterranean one mile from Haifa, and three
from Ptolemais ; it enters the sea near the place where
Elijah slew the priests of Baal (i Kings xviii.). This brook
receives much water from Mount Ephraim, from the parts
about Samaria, and from all the great plain of Jezreel,
Cain's Mount, and Megiddo. A stream which runs from
the north side of Hermon joiAs that which runs from the
fountain of Jezreel, and enters the Jordan below Bethshan.
The brook Jabbok also, mentioned above, chap, iii., enters
Jordan over against Eleale. The brook Cherith runs down
from the mount where Elijah was fed by the ravens, and
passes to the east near Phasael.^ Elisha's well has been
described in chap. iii. Moreover, the waters about Jeru-
salenri join the waters which run down from Mount En-
gaddi, and enter the Dead Sea at its beginning, just below
where Jordan runs into it.

^ I Kings ix. 13.

2 Little Jordan is here (but not in Josephus) Wddy Hamdm^ west
of the Sea of Galilee, supposed to rise at M'alia (Chateau du Roy),
east of Acre. For Cabul, see chap. iii. It was not shown at the true
site {KabiU).

3 The brook Cherith was east of Jordan. It is here placed at
Wddy Fiisdil^ west of the river.

Into the Mediterranean flow first of all, on the north, the
river Elenterus,^ for which see above, chap. ii. Next, going
southward, comes the ' well of living waters,' described
above in Part VI., chap, xviii. Next comes the stream from
near Castle Royal, which runs between Montfort and
ludyn, and enters the sea near Casale Lamberti. Next,
near Ptolemais, there flows into the sea a river which rises
some five miles off. Next is the brook Kishon, described
just above. Next comes the stream from near Sycelec/^
which enters the sea between Caesarea and Ashur.^ Next
a stream runs from a place between the house of Zachariah
and Emmaus, through the Vale of Rephaim, passes near
Ramatha, and enters the sea near Joppa.^ Further on, a
stream runs down from near Bethsura, flowing first to the
west ; it then turns south, is joined by the stream from
En-hakkore in Lehi,^ which runs from the north ; near this
place the eunuch was baptized.^ Thence it runs down past
Eshtaol, near Ascalon, to the west, and so into the sea.
Last of all, the brook Besor runs down from Mount Carmel
beyond Beersheba, turns towards Gaza, and so into the
sea.

I Eleutherus. 2 Siceleg, Vulgate ; Ziklag, A.V.

3 For the places in this paragraph, see chap. iii.

4 The great valley north of 'Am Kari7n (Zachariah's house) is in-
tended, Rarrtatha being Ramleh. The Valley of Rephaim is shown
on the map east of Ramleh. Emmaus is shown east of Nicopolis.

Judg. XV. 16.

^ There is great confusion here. The valley is shown on the map
reaching to Ascalon, yet passing between Staol (Eshtaol) and Tapna
(Timnah). Its head is at the Fountain of the Eunuch (now Philip's
Fountain, ^Ai7i Ha?7i7ia). It is thus evidently the Valley of Sorek,
which is the same as the preceding valley {Wddy Serdr).

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

CHAPTER VII.

The Pilgrimage from Ptolemais through
Nazareth even to Jerusalem.

He that would visit the holy places of the chosen Pro-
mised Land, let him begin with Nazareth, where our salva-
tion was begun. This place is seven leagues distant from
Ptolemais. On the road to Saphar one finds a castle,
where it is said that James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
were born.^ At Nazareth one is shown the place where the
angel Gabriel, God^s messenger, announced to the Blessed
Virgin Mary that the design ordained from the beginning
for the redemption of the world was about to be fulfilled.
See more about this in Part VH., chap. ii. In the chapel
built there, there were three altars ; this chapel was hewn
out of the rock, even as the chapels of the Nativity and
of the Resurrection ; indeed, of old a great part of the city
was hewn out of the rock, as may be seen at this day.
There also is shown the synagogue, now made into a
church, where Christ^ received the Book of Isaiah and read,
' The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me.'^ Four bow-shots to
the south of the city is the place called the Lord^s Leap,^
where the Jews wished to cast Him down a steep place,
but He passed out of their hands, and was seen of a sudden
on the side of the opposite mountain, a bow-shot away,
where the print of His body may be seen on the rock.
From that mountain one can see Mount Tabor, the lesser
Hermon, and Hermoniim, the village of Endor, Naim,
Jezreel, and all the width of the great plain of Esdraelon.

' Saphar is Sepphoris. The castle is Shefa 'Ajnr.
2 Luke iv, 17. 3 Isa. Ixi. i.

4 The traditional site, south of Nazareth, still shown, is the same as
in the twelfth century. See ' City of Jerusalem.

Two leagues from Nazareth is Sephoris, the birthplace of
St. Anne ; there is an exceeding fine castle above the town.
Joachim is said to have been born there ; the place is in
the tribe of Ashur, near the Valley of Carmeleon.^ Two
leagues and a half from Sephoris is Cana of Galilee, whence
came Simeon the Canaanite, and Nathaniel. In it is shown
the place where stood the six waterpots wherein Christ
turned the water into wine, and the dining-room wherein
the table stood. These places, like all the others wherein
Christ worked miracles, are underground, and people go
down many steps to them, into a crypt, even as they do
into the place of the Annunciation, the Nativity, and many
others. The reason of this seems to be that, owing to the
frequent destruction of churches, their ruins have risen
above the ground, and when they were levelled other
buildings were set up ; wherefore the faithful made stairs
to the original places and visit them in crypts. ^ Near this
city, on the south, is a tall, round hill, on whose sloping
side the city stands. Beneath it, to the south, is a fair
plain, fertile and pleasant, which reaches as far as Se-
phoris. The order in which pilgrims visit these places is
to go from Ptolemais, five leagues to the east, to Cana of
Galilee, and thence to the south by Sephoris to Nazareth.
Two leagues from Nazareth is Mount Tabor, where the
Lord was transfigured. Here are shown the ruins of the
three tabernacles which were built according to Peter's
desire. There are also the ruins of many other buildings,
which now are the dens of lions and other wild beasts ; so
that here also is hunting fit for a king.^ The mount is hard
to climb, and is very lofty, and suitable for fortification.

^ Carmelion is apparently for Carmel ; the valley seems to be Wddy
el Melek^ leading from Sepphoris towards Carmel.

2 Cana (see chap, iii.) is at Khurbet Kanah^ where there is a ruined
vault still visible.

3 Poloner, 27 ; Abbot Daniel, 59, etc.

At its foot, on the south side, on the way leading from
Syria to Egypt, is the place where Melchisedec met
Abraham, as he was returning from the slaughter of the
four kings in the neighbourhood of Damascus. At its foot,
on the west, over against Nazareth, stands the chapel on
the place where Christ said to His disciples, ' Tell no oi.e
what ye have seen,' etc., while from its foot, on the east
side, runs the brook Kishon. Two leagues from Tabor, to
the south-east, is Naim, where Christ raised the widow's
son from the dead. Fifteen leaj^ues from thence is Samaria,
and from thence to Jerusalem the road measures one
hundred and three.^

CHAPTER Vni.

The Pilgrimage through the Holy City of Jeru-
salem, AND THE Mount Sion.

When you visit these most holy places, for which an
entire day is scarce sufficient, you should enter through
the gate of Benjamin, that is, St. Stephen's Gate. Then,
first of all, you should visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
which is the chief of all the sanctuaries in the world. This
church is round, and measures in diameter seventy-three
feet between the columns, not reckoning the apses, which
measure thirty feet, and stand round about the circle of
columns.- Above the Lord's sepulchre, which is in the
midst of this same church, there is a round opening, so
that the whole interior of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

^ Deinde usque Jerusalem via ponitur, c. iii. The word understood
cannot be ' leagues.' Probably ' furlongs ' is understood.

2 This passage is carelessly transcribed from Anon. Pil. p. 31,
where see note.

is open to the sky. The Church of Golgotha adjoins this
church, and is oblong in shape. It serves as a choir to the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and has a somewhat lower
ceiling ; but they are both under one roof. Before the
Christians bore rule in those parts, a church of the size of
a chapel was built on the place where Christ was crucified,
and where the cross was found ; hut when the faithful
gained possession of those parts, they thought this place
small and cramped ; wherefore they built a new, costly,
beautiful, and solid work, which includes all the holy places
within itself. The door of the sepulchre is very low and
small. The form of the sepulchre is described in Part VII.,
chap. ii. It is a cave without any opening, so that
there is no way by which light can enter it ; but nine
lamps afford a constant light. There is also another cave
in front of this cave of the holy sepulchre of the same
length, width, and shape ; and these two appear to be one
as one enters from without. It was into this outer cave
that the women entered when they said, 'Who shall roll
us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre ?' This
stone had been rolled up to the door of the inner cave, and
at this day a great part thereof lies before the aforesaid
door ; but the rest of it has been translated to Mount
Sion, where it supports an altar. Near the cell of the
holy sepulchre there is a pillar bearing the effigy of St.
Pantaleon. When a Saracen put out this figure's eyes, his
own eyes straightway fell out upon the ground. Mount
Calvary whereon the Lord was crucified, stands one hundred
and eight feet away from the sepulchre. One mounts
nineteen feet above the pavement of the church to the
place where the cross was set up. The rent in the rock
wherein the cross was fixed is of such a size that it can
take in a man's head, and it runs down lengthwise from
the place where the cross was placed, even to the pavement

40 SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

of the church, nineteen feet. The colour of the blood of
our Lord Jesus Christ still appears to this day in the rent
in the rock ; this rent was beneath His left hand. Near
this place where His left hand was, an exceeding beauteous
altar has been built, and adorned with marble. The pave-
ment of this chapel also is made of marble, and the walls
are cased with marble and adorned with mosaic work.
The place wherein the cross stood is a hole two palms
deep, and big enough to take in a man's head. Ten feet
away from Calvary, on the north side, there is an altar
beneath which is the pillar at which the Lord was scourged.
It was brought to this place from Pilate's house, and is
covered by the stone of the altar in such sort that it can
be touched, seen, and kissed by the faithful. It is a stone
of dark porphyry, with some natural red spots, which the
vulgar call spots of Christ's blood. Another part of this
pillar has been translated to Constantinople. There is
likewise another place on the left-hand side of the church,
where there is a small slender pillar to which they say
Jesus was bound and scourged. Twelve feet east of the
altar before this column one goes down forty-eight stairs
to the place where Helena found the cross ; there is a
chapel there, and two altars, underground. This place
where the cross was found is thought to have been one of
the ditches of the old city, into which the crosses were
flung after the bodies had been taken down from them.
The place where the Blessed Virgin stood near the cross
with the other women was not beneath the northern arm
of the cross, as many think, but before her Son's face,
almost due west ; the place is shown at the foot of the
aforesaid rock. Near it is shown the place where Joseph
of Arimathaea and Nicodemus washed Jesus after they
had taken Him down from the cross. They say that the
Lord Jesus pointed to this place, and declared that it was

the middle of the world ; it is in the midst of the choir :
on the left-hand side of the choir is Christ's prison. Near
this is the place where our Lord, when He was risen from
the dead, met Mary Magdalen, and she, supposing Him to
be the gardener, said, ' Sir, if thou have borne Him hence,
tell mc where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him
away.' In this place an altar has been set up, in memory
of this apparition, over against the cell of the sepulchre.
From hence one goes to the west gate, where St. Mary of
Egypt^ was converted, because she could not enter it
together with the other Christians. There are also in this
church many well-built and well-decorated altars.

After this, the pilgrim should go to Mount Sion. On
the way hither, over against David's Tower, one finds the
place where Herod Agrippa slew James the brother of
John with the sword. They do err who say that his head
was brought thither by the hands of angels from Joppa,
and. buried there. Upon Mount Sion one finds first St.
Saviour's Church, which once was the house of Caiaphas,
wherein, after He was taken, Christ abode until morning ;
it was there that the chief priests and all the council sought
false witness against Jesus, to put Him to death ; it was
there that the High-priest rose and said unto Him, ' I
adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether
thou be the Christ, the Son of the living God,'^ and Jesus
answered, ' Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting
on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of
heaven.' Then the High-priest rent his clothes ; but
Christ's seamless tunic was not rent, which things are a
type of the ruin of the synagogue and the strength of the
Church. Then they declared Him guilty of death, and

^ Anon,, pp. 12,' 19, 23 ; Willis's 'Church of the Holy Sepulchre,'
p. 102.

2 Matt. xxvi. 53.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

spat in His face, and smote Him with buffets; others
mocked Him as they struck Him ; and they bHndfolded
Him and smote Him on the face, saying, ' Prophesy unto
us, thou Christ ; who is he that smote thee ?' and many
other blasphemies they said against Him. There is usually
shown part of the pillar to which He was bound until the
morning, and scourged. At this place also is shown the
prison, wherein, after the rising of the sacrilegious council,
Christ was imprisoned until morning, where He heard
countless taunts and endured insults from worthless slaves.
There also is the great stone on the altar, which is said to
have been the stone laid over the tomb of the Lord Jesus.
A stone's-throw to the south of this place is the place
where the glorious Virgin Mary dwelt, after her Son's
ascension into heaven, and here is the chamber wherein
she departed this life. There also is a church of St. John
the Evangelist, which is said to have been the first church
built in the world. In it that Apostle was wont to
administer the sacrament to that most blessed queen, as
long as he lived. A red stone^ used to be shown in this
place, which served as an altar, and which they declare
was brought from Mount Sinai by the hands of angels, in
answer to the prayer of St. Thomas as he was returning
from India. Near the aforesaid place is the Chamber of
the Last Supper, a great paved building, wherein Christ
supped with His disciples, washed their feet, gave them
His Body and Blood, and appeared to them sundry times
after His resurrection. A chapel has been built beneath
it. Here also Matthias was chosen an Apostle ; the Holy
Spirit was sent down upon the Apostles ; the seven deacons
were chosen, and St. James the Less was ordained Bishop
of Jerusalem. All these places are shown separately. Here
also is shown the basin into which Christ poured the water
' Fabri, i. 509.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

to wash His disciples' feet. Hard by are the tombs of
Solomon, David, and the other kings of Judah, partly
within the Church of Mount Sion, and partly without, on
the north side. Not far away is the sepulchre of St. Stephen
the first martyr, in which he was laid after the finding of
his body.

CHAPTER IX.

The Pilgrimage to the Holy Places round
ABOUT Jerusalem.

Coming down from Mount Sion, one finds the place where,
when the Apostles were carrying the glorious Virgin to her
sepulchre in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the Jewish High-
priest would have snatched away her body ; but his hand
straightway withered. There is also a church, commonly
called the Cock-crowing, wherein is a deep pit in which
Peter wept bitterly. Thence one goes to the south to the
field that, was bought for the thirty pieces of silver for
which Christ was sold by Judas. Then one goes to the
fountain of Siloam, at the foot of Mount Sion, near Solo-
mon's palace : from it water flows into the lower pool, and
the bathing-pool of Siloam. It does not flow constantly,
but at intervals. Both pools also receive the water from
the lower source of Gihon, which rises beneath the fuller's
field, where Rabshakeh railed against the Lord in the
hearing of the people on the wall. To the east, near these
pools, runs the brook Cedron, fed by all the collected
waters from the high ground, to wit, from Rama, from
Anathoth, and from the sepulchre of the Queen of Adiabene,
and one can hear the rushing of the waters as they flow
far beneath the Virgin's sepulchre. Thus, all these waters

44 SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

flow together down into the Valley of Gehinnon, which is
also called the Place of Tophet. In this valley also is the
stone of Zoheleth, and the well Rogel, where Adonijah
feasted when he tried to make himself King. There,
beneath the oak-tree of Rogel, is shown the sepulchre of
the prophet Isaiah. These are lovely and pleasant places ;
the gardens and orchards are watered by the brook Cedron.
As one goes along the Valley of Jehoshaphat from the
fountain of Siloam, over against the temple, at the foot of
the Mount of Olives, is shown the sepulchre^ of Jehoshaphat,
King of Judah, which has above it a pyramid^ of great
beauty. More than a stone's-throw to the north of this
sepulchre is the place where Christ prayed. Further on, a
stone's-throw to the north, is the Church of Gethsemane,
where is the garden into which Jesus entered with His
disciples, on the side of the Mount of Olives, clinging to a
hollow rock which hangs from the mount. Beneath this
rock the disciples sat, when Jesus said to them, * Sit here
and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.' The place
where they sat is shown at this day. There also is shown
the place where He was taken by the multitude, and where
Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. The mark of His bare
head is still to be seen on the steep rock, and the traces of
His hair. On the other side of the rock the marks of His
fingers may be seen, as though they had been pressed upon
dough. He is said to have made these marks by clinging
to the rock when He was taken by the multitude. It is a
wondrous tale, which men who have experienced it tell,
that even with iron tools not only they cannot break off
any part of this rock, but cannot even scrape any dust off
it. Likewise, in the place where He prayed, and being in
an agony prayed for a long while, and His sweat was as

' Apparently the present ' Tomb of Zechariah.'
2 Anon., vi., p. 68, note ; Fabri, i. 513.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

drops of blood falling to the ground, the marks of His
knees and hands are innprinted in the stone ; and from this
stone, as from the other, no piece can be broken off. The
way up the Mount of Olives passes between this place and
Gethsemane, in front of the Church of the Blessed Virgin.
From the door of the aforesaid Church of Gethsemane, even
to the door of the chapel leading into the church wherein
is the glorious Virgin's sepulchre, is fifty paces, toward the
west, not down in the valley, but along the foot of the
Mount of Olives. Before the destruction of Jerusalem
this church was above ground, but now it is far under
ground ; for the Romans, Josephus tells us, besieged the
city on that side, cut down the olive-trees and other trees,
and filled it^ up with mounds made therewith. Afterwards,
when the city was taken, Mount Moriah itself was levelled,
lest so strong a place should be left standing, and Adrian
ordered the ruins of the temple and its courts to be cast
down into the brook Cedron, and caused the city to be
sown with salt. Owing to these fillings up, the church,
albeit a tall and vaulted one, has been completely covered
over, and above it is flat ground, with a public road
thereon. Yet there remains above ground a building
like a chapel, which you enter, and then go down some
sixty stairs underground to the church itself, and to the
sepulchre of the glorious Virgin. The sepulchre stands in
the midst of the choir, over against the altar ; it is of
marble, and splendidly decorated. But the church is very
damp ; for the brook Cedron runs beneath it, full of the
waters from the places aforesaid, and holds its ancient
course; but when there is much rain the aforesaid brook
overflows and fills the church, insomuch that often the
water covers all the stairs and runs out of the door of the

^ It is not clear whether 'it' refers to the valley or'the church.

chapel that stands at the top of them. The church is
h'ghted by windows at the east end, which, from the shape
of the ground, are well placed for receiving light from the
direction of the Mount of Olives. Near the Virgin's
sepulchre is the sepulchre of St. James the Less ; for the
Christians buried him here after the Jews had cast him
down from the temple. The sepulchre of Queen Helena
is described above ; this Helena was not Constantine's
mother, but the Queen of Adiabene, who fed her brethren
in Jerusalem when there was a famine in Jerusalem in the
fourth and the eleventh years of the reign of Claudius
Caesar. After the pilgrim has visited these places, let him
go along the road which we have said passes near the
Virgin's sepulchre, and follow Christ as He came to Jeru-
salem riding upon an ass, on Palm Sunday, and let him
cry aloud, with the multitude of the faithful, ' Hosanna to
the Son of David ; blessed is He that cometh in the name
of the Lord ; peace in heaven {sic), and glory in the highest.'
Christ entered Jerusalem through the Golden Gate. About
a crossbow-shot from this stands the Lord's Temple, on
Mount Moriah. It was in this temple that Jesus was pre-
sented, when He was a child forty days old, and Simeon
sang to Him, ' Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart
in peace, according to Thy word,^^ etc., and Anna^ the pro-
phetess came and spake of Him to all them that looked
for redemption in Israel. There, as a boy of twelve, He
stood in the midst of the doctors, rather teaching them by
His wise questions than learning from them. There, when
grown to man's estate, He cast those who bought and sold
out of the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-
changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, saying,
* Make not My house a den of thieves.'^ There He forgave
the woman taken in adultery both her punishment and her
^ Luke ii. 26. ^ Luj^g 26. 3 Matt. xxi. 12.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

sin. There the Jews would have stoned Him, when He
said, * I and My Father are One.' There He preferred the
widow's two mites to the great offerings of others, He
justified the humble publican, condemned the proud
Pharisee, and wrought many other works helpful for our
salvation. The enclosure of the temple is square, and
walled in ; it measures more than a bow-shot in length and
breadth ; on the west side it has two gates, one of which is
called the Beautiful Gate ; for an account of which see
above, Part I., chap. viii. This was the gate at which
Peter healed the lame man (Acts iii.) ; the other gate has
no name. On the north side there is a gate, and on the
east is what is called the Golden Gate. Above every one
of these gates there stands a lofty tower, which the Saracen
priests are wont to ascend, and proclaim the law of
Mahomet. No one dares to enter this enclosure save with
clean feet, and to this end gatekeepers or porters are ap-
pointed. In the midst of this enclosure there is another
enclosure, square, and higher than the outer one, up to
which one ascends on the west and south side by flights of
steps. In the midst of this is built the temple, on the
place where David bought the threshing-floor of Araunah
the Jebusite, that he might build an altar to the Lord, and
where the plague which assailed the people was stayed ;
see the end of the Second Book of Samuel. The temple
has eight angles and eight sides ; its walls are cased with
marble and adorned with mosaic work. Its roofing is of
lead, admirably worked, and each of the enclosures is
paved with white marble. They say that near the Lord's
Temple is Solomon's Temple, in which are two temples.
No Christian is suffered to enter it, lest his prayer be heard,
according to Solomon's word. If the pilgrim may not
enter by the gate through which Christ entered into the
temple, let him enter by the valley gate, about a stone's-

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

throw distant from the great temple enclosure, on the
south side. Before he enters the gate, he will see on his
right hand the place where St. Stephen was bound when
he was stoned, in which place also he prayed on his bended
knees for his murderers, saying, ' Lord, lay not this sin to
their charge.'^

CHAPTER X.

The Pilgrimage to such Places as were omitted
IN the City of Jerusalem.

When you have entered the aforesaid valley gate, first on
the right hand comes St. Anne's Church,^ wherein is shown
the crypt wherein the glorious Virgin Mary was born, in
the place where stood the house of Joachim and St. Anna.
Hard by is a great pool, which was called the Inner Pool,^
and was made by Hezekiah in the following manner he
stopped up the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it
straight down the west side of the city of David, digging
the hard rock with iron, as we read in Ecclesiasticus
xlviii. 17, and led the waters through the midst of the city
into that pool, that in times of siege the people might have
water to drink, and the Assyrians should not be able to
hinder them. But he led the spring of the waters of Gihon
into the upper pool, which is above the bathing-pool of
Siloam. This work was begun by Ahaz, but not finished

" The topography of chaps, viii., ix., is best understood by comparing
the more accurate account in the ' City of Jerusalem.' See transla-
tion in this series.

Ludolph von Suchem, p. 100.

3 For the Piscina Interior, see appendix to ' City of Jerusalem' in
this series.

4 2 Chron. xxxii. 30.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

by him. Isaiah (vii. 3) mentions this pool and spring, when
he says, ' Go forth now ... to the end of the conduit of
the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.' This
is called the Upper Pool, in respect of Siloam, for which see
chap. viii. There is a fourth pool in the city on the left
hand of the aforesaid Valley Gate, even as St. Anne is on
the right. This is called the Sheep Pool/ near the altar of
the temple. In it the Nethinims used to wash the victims
and then bring them to the priests, to be offered in the
temple. This is shown to this day with its five arches, in
which the sick used to lie waiting for the troubling of the
water, for whosoever first after the troubling of the water
stepped in was made whole (John v. 4). Here Christ
healed the man which had an infirmity thirty-and-eight
years. Some say that the first pool, near St. Anne's, is
the sheep pool ; but this I do not believe. We read of no
more pools in Jerusalem or round about the same. After
you have seen these things on the right hand and on the
left, go straight forward along the road to the gate before
you, which is called the Gate of Judgment,^ and you will
find Pilate's house, wherein the innocent Lamb of God was
scourged and mocked by the soldiers, spat upon, buffeted,
crowned with thorns, and at last condemned to death.
Here is the way leading to the temple, down which the

^ The Sheep Pool is here either at the Twin Pools, or at the Birket
Israil. The author places the Upper Gihon at Birket Ma7nilla^ west
of Jerusalem. The Upper Pool seems to be Birket el Batrak^ which
is fed by aqueduct from Birket Mamilla. He seems to suppose two
aqueducts, from the Piscina Interior (at St. Anne's), and from the
Upper Pool, to join in the Tyropoeon Valley, and run to Siloam.
This makes four pools besides Siloam.

2 The old Byzantine archway east of the Holy Sepulchre Cathedral
was the traditional Porta Jtidiciaria. The ancient wall of the city was
supposed to pass east and west, south of the cathedral, and then turn
north and again east to the Twin Pools. No remains have, however,
been found on this line as yet.

qo SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

Jews, coming from the temple, cried, ' Crucify him, crucify
him !' Near Pilate's house is Annas's house, to which
Christ was first led after He had been taken by the multi-
tude in Gethsemane. Here He was questioned about His
doctrine, as though He were a teacher of heresy, and was
struck by a wicked slave with the palm of his hand ;^ thence
He was sent in bonds to Caiaphas on Mount Sion. For a
description of his house, see chap. viii. Near the house of
Annas is the Church of St. Mary of the Swoon, at the
place where the Blessed Virgin fainted with grief when she
beheld her innocent Son bearing His cross and distressed
by its weight; and to this day two great white stones^ are
built into the arch aloft, upon which stones the Lord rested
when He was bearing the cross. ^ Proceeding further along
the aforesaid street, one finds on the right hand the way
leading to St. Stephen's Gate, along which the Jews, who
were leading Jesus, , found one Simon of Cyrene coming
from the country, and compelled him to bear the cross ;
and he bore it even to Mount Calvary, where they crucified
him (szc). For an account of this place, see chap. viii.
King Herod's palace is said to have stood near the Church
of St. Mary of the Swoon. Not far from Herod's palace
is shown the house of the traitor Judas, where he dwelt
with his wife and children.

CHAPTER XI.

The Pilgrimage to Bethlehem and Hebron.

Aftkr the pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Mount Sion, and the
places round about them, you must go out of David's Gate

^ John xviii. 22. ^ Fabri, i. 448.

3 The site of the Spasina Virginis was shown beside the Ecce
Homo arch. See notes to the ' City of Jerusalem.'

toward Bethlehem, which is some two leagues distant, to
the southward, on the left-hand side of the road to Hebron ;
but it stands a bow-shot away from the road. Halfway there
is a church on the place where Elijah did some act of
penance. One mile from Bethlehem is Rachel's sepulchre ;
it is on the right-hand side, near the road, and is covered
with a fair dome, which was built by Jacob, who put
beneath it upon her tomb twelve great stones, according
to the number of the children of Israel, which stones are
there to this day. Near Rachel's sepulchre^ is the field of
stony peas. They say that the Lord Jesus, when passing
that way, asked a man, who was sowing peas, what he was
sowing. He answered, ' Stones,' whereupon the Lord said,
* Let them be stones.' Thus the peas were turned into stones,
and to this day stony peas are found there, which pilgrims
are wont to gather. At last one reaches Bethlehem, which
stands on a fairly high though narrow mount, which
stretches east and west. The entrance is on the west, and
beside the gate is the well of which David longed to drink
when he was beleaguered here. On the east side there
is a cave in the rock near the city wall, which seems, after
the fashion of that country, to have been a stable, with a
manger hewn in the rock, as is usual in those parts. How
shall I praise this stable, the place where Christ was born
of the Virgin, a sun from a star; where truth arose from
the earth, and our earth gave its increase ? With what
words shall I set forth the glory of that manger, wherein
the babe that wept, wrapped in swaddling clothes, was He
who had made the heavens, and at so stupendous a miracle
the angels cried out, the shepherds ran to see, the star
glittered above, Herod was affrighted, Jerusalem disturbed ?

^ This site, with its legend, is still shown south of Mar Elias^ on
the road to Bethlehem, north of Rachel's tomb. Fabri, i. 545 ;
Ricoldus, iv. 1 10.

52 SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

O Bethlehem, city of David ! glorified by the birth of the
true David, of a mighty hand and a comely countenance.
The city was a little one, but hath been magnified by the
Lord. He who before was great, but became a little one,
therein hath magnified her. What city is there that would
not be envious of her, when it heard of her precious stable
and the glory of her manger? Everywhere glorious things
are said of thee, thou city of God ; everywhere people sing,
* It shall be reported that He was born in her, and the
Most High shall stablish her.''^ Take notice that near the
aforesaid rock, wherein Christ was born, there is another
roomier^ one, only four feet distant from the first, beneath
which stood the manger wherein that sweetest babe, when
newly born and wrapped in swaddling clothes, lay beside
the ox and the ass. It seems to have been all one cave,
only divided into two by a door made in it, and the stairs
whereby one goes up from the chapel to the choir. The
hay from the manger was taken to Rome by the Empress
Helena, and meetly enshrined in Great St. Mary's Church.^
St. Jerome is buried hard by the manger. One goes down
from the church to the place of the most sweet Nativity by
ten steps, which lead into the chapel. The inside of this
chapel is all of mosaic work ; it is paved with marble, and
is built in exceedingly costly fashion. Mass can be cele-
brated over the place where the Blessed Virgin was
delivered, upon a marble slab which is placed there ; but
some of the bare stone whereon Christ was born may be
seen, and also some part of the manger wherein He lay
is left uncovered. These places are visited with the greatest
devotion and respect. One could hardly find a fairer
church in the world, or one of equal sanctity ; for there
are therein most noble pillars of marble, set in four rows,
and remarkable not only for their number, but also for
^ Ps. Ixxxvii. 5. ^ Capacior. 3 Sta. Maria Maggiore.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS. 53

their size. Moreover, the nave of the church above the
pillars is of most beauteous and noble mosaic work, wherein
is depicted all history, from the creation of the world even
to the coming of Christ to judge the same. Moreover, all
the pavement of the church is of marble of divers colours,
adorned with a wondrous variety of patterns. In this
Church of St. Mary of Bethlehem, on the left-hand side
in the wall, is the place where the Lord's navel-string and
foreskin used to be kept ; on the right-hand side of the
choir, that is, the south side, is the place where the Holy
Inr.ocents were buried, and an altar has been set up there ;
but the greater part of them were buried in a place three
miles to the south of the church. One of the Soldans^
ordered the precious marble slabs and columns of this
venerable church to be taken to Babylon (Cairo) to build
him a palace ; but when workmen came in the Soldan's
presence with their tools to carry out his commands, out
of the sound unbroken wall, from which not so much as a
needle could be drawn, there came forth a serpent of
wondrous size, who gave a bite to the first slab to which
it came, and the slab straightway split across. It did like-
wise to the next, and so on to the rest in order, to the
number of forty. All stood amazed, and the Soldan gave
up his intention ; whereupon the serpent disappeared.
From thenceforth the church has remained, and remains
to this day even as it was at the first. The Saracens ,
respect all churches which are dedicated to the glorious
Virgin, but this one above all others. Even to this day
the track of the serpent may be seen on each of the siabs,
as though they had been burned with fire. Besides all the
rest, it is a miracle how the serpent could pass along them,
seeing that the wall is as smooth and polished as glass.
At the north door of this church stands a monks' cloister,
^ Fabri, i. 598, repeats this story.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

to which one goes up some steps. In a crypt they show
the cell wherein St. Jerome did penance, and worked much,
translating and commenting on Holy Scripture ; his bed
also is shown, and the workrooms of the monastery of
which he was the head. About a stone's-throw to the
east of the aforesaid church is the Church of St. Paula and
her daughter Eustochium, built on the place where they
did penance. In it their sepulchres are shown. Beneath
the aforesaid church there is a great crypt, wherein is a
chapel where we are told the Virgin once sat with her
child, that she might in solitude have more leisure to gaze
upon Him whom the angels desire to behold, God of God,
sitting upon the cherubim in His majesty, sitting upon a
high and lofty throne, in appearance equal to the Father,
amid the glories of the saints, born before the morning
star. In this place she is said to have squeezed her full
breasts over the ground, wherefore the earth there is white,
and looks like curdled milk. It is said that a woman who
has lost her milk will straightway get it back again if she
puts a little of this earth into a cup of water and drinks it.
A mile from Bethlehem the shepherds, we are told by the
Gospel, were abiding in the field, keeping watch over their
flocks by night.^ Would that other shepherds had kept
watch over the flocks committed to their charge in that
same country ! then perchance a lion out of the forest,^
that is to say, the power of Saladin, had not slain them, nor
had Bendocdar, a wolf of the evenings, laid waste what the
lion had spared ; nor had Melecmessor,^ a leopard, swift
and eager to do evil, even as a leopard is to shed blood,

^ The shepherds' field is here shown in the present traditional site
east of Bethlehem. Luke ii. 8.

2 Jer. V, 6 : ' Wherefore a Hon out of the forest shall slay them, and
a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over
their cities.'

3 Melecmessor is only for Melek Musr, 'the King of Egypt.'

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

watched over their cities which were left alone. Eight
leagues to the south of Bethlehem, one comes to Hebron,
which is described above in chap, iii., and its position in
Part VII., chap. ii. The position and state of the other
places in the Holy Land may be found above, chap. iii.
and iv.

CHAPTER XII.

The State of the Kingdom of Egypt.

Since enough has been said about Syria and the Promised
Land, it is time to turn my pen toward Egypt. We marked
the boundary of the Promised Land at Darum in chap. ii.
Passing along the coast of Egypt, although in Book I.,
Part L, chap, xv., and more at large in Book II., Part IV.,
chap. XXV., mention has already been made of this same
country, yet we may say that from Darum to Caput
Beroaldi is thirty miles, and from thence to the bottom of
the marsh, known as the Gulf of Rixa,^ is thirty miles,
thence to the other end of the gulf is thirty miles, thence
to Ra'sacasarom^ is fifty, and thence even to Pharamia^
is thirty miles. This city was once well fenced with
walls, but afterwards was altogether taken possession of
by serpents. From Pharamia to the river Tanis is
twenty-five miles ; but the city of Tanis is beyond the
river some five -and -twenty miles above the lake. It
is mentioned in Ps. Ixxviii. 12, 'Marvellous things did
He ... in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.'^^ This

^ Possibly from Ostracine, at the west end of the Sabkhat BardawU.
■2 Ras el Kasrun ; Mount Casius.

3 Tell Fararna, the ancient Pelusium. Fuller (' Holy Warre,'
Bo 'k II., ch. xiii.) says that Pharamia was anciently called Rameses.

4 Tanis in the Vulgate, now Tell San el Hajr.

56 SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

was where Moses and Aaron and the children of Israel
dwelt, and is in the land of Goshen, whereof Joseph told
his brethren and his father, saying, ' Ye shall say unto
Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we and also
our fathers. Say this, that ye may dwell in the land
Goshen ;' for which see Part VI., chap, xviii. Tanis was
of old a strongly fenced city, built on strong ground ; but
at this day it is utterly destroyed, and only a few Bedouins
dwell in its ruins, because of its pastures and the richness
of the country. Moreover, it abounds greatly in birds and
fishes. For an account of it, see Part VI., chap, xviii.
From the river of Tanis to Damietta is forty miles, by sea.
This city was of old called Memphis ; for it see above.
Part VL, chap. xxii. But two leagues from the sea the
Saracens have built a long village, with no fortifications,
for ships to ride at and for the storage of merchandise ;
this place abounds with fruits, corn, and other good things,
even as Tanis. One of the branches of the Nile flows
between this city and Damietta, proceeding toward Tanis ;
thence it runs through the channel called Bayera^ to
Pharamia, and enters the sea there. This is the first port
of Egypt in the direction of the Promised Land. From
Damietta to Brullium^ is seventy miles, and from thence to
the mouth of the river Sturio,*^ which is five miles wide,
measures thirty miles, and it is thirty miles round about.
From the mouth of the Sturio to the mouth of the Rosseta
(Rosetta) branch of the Nile is forty miles. From the
Rosetta Mouth to the Tower of Bolcherius* is twenty-five
miles, and thence to Alexandria is eighteen miles.

P>om what has been said above, it is plain that from
Pharamia to Alexandria is two hundred and sixty-eight

' From Ba/ir, the name by which the canals are known.
2 Apparently on Lake Burlus.

^ Possibly the Sebennytic mouth of the Nile. + Abukir.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

miles. This is the width of the sea-coast of Egypt ; but the
kingdom of Egypt reaches even to the Soldan^s Harbour,
which harbour lies beyond Alexandria, two hundred and
seventy miles to the west, as is told in Book II., Part IV.,
chap. XXV. From Alexandria to Babylon {Fostat, near
Cairo) is reckoned two hundred and thirty miles up the
Nile. From Pharamia through Tanis and Damietta to
Babylon is reckoned two hundred miles only, going up the
river as before. From Babylon to the city of Syene,^ which
is the furthermost part of Egypt toward the south and
Ethiopia, is one hundred and forty miles. From the
aforesaid city of Syene it is reckoned about two hundred
and sixty miles up the Nile to the place called Chus,^
where ships are laden with merchandise brought from
Aden. The aforesaid Ethiopia is properly called Nubia ;
it is entirely inhabited by Christians, who were converted
by St. Matthew. Going up the Nile from Damietta one
comes first to Abdela, and next Mansora,^ where the Nile
divides, and the lesser branch runs to Pharamia. But the
place where the Nile makes its chief division, and makes
the greater part of Egypt an island, is called Delta ; for
the island is a triangular one, shaped like the letter Delta.
The greater branch runs toward Alexandria, but the lesser
to Damietta. From Delta to Heliopolis is three miles.
Hence a branch of the Nile runs northward to the city
of Belbeis,^ which once was called Pelusium (Part VI.,
chap, xviii.) ; thence it flows through the wilderness toward

^ Aswan.

2 Apparently Kus^ near Kuft^ Coptos, but this is down the Nile
from Syene.

3 Bedalah and Mansurah.

1 Belbes, on the line of the old canal, which passed near Heliopolis,
or On, now Tell Hisn, and ran on to Lake Timsah. Pelusium, or'
Sin, now Tell Fara?na, was near the mouth of the Pelusiac arm of
the Nile.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

the Holy Land, and enters the sea near the city of Laris,^
one day's journey from Gaza and Beersheba. This is
properly called in Scripture the river^ of Egypt, and
therein was the boundary of the tribe of Judah (Numbers
. . . ), but it cannot be navigated. Heliopolis is a very fine
town, but is not fortified, neither is any other town in all
Egypt save Alexandria and Cairo. In Heliopolis and
Babylon the places are shown wherein the glorious Virgin
abode with her Son when she fled into Egypt from the face of
Herod. As she had no other place wherein to take her rest,
she entered a temple wherein were 365 idols, in whose honour
Divine service was celebrated on every day in the year ; but
at the entrance of Christ and the Virgin Mary all the idols
fell down. Then was fulfilled the word of Isaiah (chap, xix.),
* Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall
come into Egypt ; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved
at His presence.' When news of this was brought to
Afrodosius, he came to the temple with all his host, drew
near to the babe and worshipped it, and said to his host,
' Had not this been the God of our gods, they had not
bowed themselves before Him ; wherefore we, unless we
be careful to do that which we see our gods do, shall come
into peril even as Pharaoh did.' Thus the holy Lord,
who in His wrath thinketh of mercy, by sending His Son
into Egypt, gave a great proof of His forgiveness, and with
that one medicine healed all its ten plagues. Seven leagues
from Heliopolis is Babylon, a very great and well-fortified
city, standing on the northern bank of the river Nile ; but
a pretty large branch of that river runs through the midst
of the city, through the city of Cairo (Part VI., chap, xxii.),
which adjoins Babylon, and at Cairo returns to the main
river again. Near Cairo is an exceeding ancient palm-

' E/ Arish. 2 I Kings viii. 65 ; 2 Kings xxiv. 7.

tree,^ which bowed itself to the Blessed Virgin Mary that
she might gather dates from it, and then raised itself up
again. When the heathens saw this they cut it down, but
it joined itself together again in the following night, and
stood upright again. The marks of the cutting may be
seen to this day. Round about this city there are many
excellent orchards ; one mile away from it is the Garden
of Balsam, of the size of half a mansus? The bushes therein
are of the size of a three-year-old vine-stock ; the leaf is
like that of small trefoil, or rue, but of a whiter colour.
When it is ripe, which is about the month of May, the
bark of the wood bursts, and the liquor is collected in glass
vessels. It is then laid in doves' dung and dried, and thus
right balsam is made. They say that there is yet another
way of gathering it, which is to pluck a leaf on the side
toward the sun ; for the leaf joins the stem, and, albeit
many stand on one plot of ground, they have only one
stem. When the leaf is torn away, there straightway flows
forth an exceeding transparent and sweet-scented drop.
This garden can only be watered from one single fount,
wherein the Blessed Virgin is said to have washed the boy
Jesus's swaddling clothes. At the season of Epiphany
both Christians and Saracens assemble at this fount, and
wash themselves therein out of devotion. Another miracle
there is that the oxen that draw the aforesaid water would
not draw any between mid-day on Saturday until the same
hour on Sunday, not though you were to skin them alive.
In Babylon also there is a wonder worthy of record. In a
monastery, built there in honour of St. John the Baptist
there is a chest" containing his relics. Every year they

^ See Poloner, p. 42 ; Tobler, ' Descriptiones,' p. 409 ; Ernoul, p. 49.

2 Manse, terme de feodalite. Mesure de terre jugde necessaire pour
faire vivre un homme et sa famille. Etym., has. lat., jnanstis. Littre's
Diet.

3 Scrinimn.

6o SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

carry the aforesaid chest some five leagues down the Nile
to another church of monks, which is also built in his
honour. After Mass they place the chest in the river, to
try in which place the saint wishes his relics to rest — that is,
whether in this place or the former ; and presently, before
the eyes of all, the chest moves up against the stream of
the river exceeding fast, so that men riding at full speed
on horseback cannot outrun it. Five leagues from Babylon
there are some triangular pyramids, exceeding lofty, which
are said to have been Joseph's granaries. Two leagues
from them are the ruins of the city of Thebes, from whence
came the Theban legion. Adjoining this is the wilderness
of the Thebaid, where in the days of old there was a
multitude of monks.

Above Babylon the Nile runs down all in one stream
from the aforesaid place, Syene, a distance of two hundred
and forty miles. From Syene to the city of Meroe is two
hundred and sixty miles. Syene stands beneath the sum-
mer tropic ; wherefore no shadows are cast there when the
sun is in the first stage of Cancer, at which time Meroe
casts a shadow toward the south. And you must note
that, albeit from Babylon to Syene, and from Syene to
Meroe, is a long distance, yet the country has scarce any
width, because the whole of this way it follows the Nile,
which has high mountains on either side, and the land is
a.11 burned up, save by the riverside. The source of the
Nile cannot be found out, save as far as the mountains on
the left hand of Nubia, through which it flows ; beyond
this is an impassable country. The land of Egypt can
scarce be come at save by sea. To the westward it is
bounded by a province of Barbary, called Barca ;^ there is
a wilderness of fifteen days' journey between them. To
the southward is the wilderness of Ethiopia, twelve days'

^ Cyrenaica.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

journey and more, even to Nubia. On the east side there
is the wilderness of the Thebaid, which reaches to the Red
Sea, three days' journey, to the place called Beronice^ (sic) ;
this is the port of Egypt on the Red Sea. For those who-
wish to sail towards India, to the south-west and the north
there is the great wilderness reaching even to the Holy
Land, wherein the children of Israel wandered for forty
years. One cannot cross this wilderness into Syria in less
than eight days. Thus, on every side, save the sea-coast,
the kingdom of Egypt is surrounded by sand and by the
wilderness. The climate of Egypt is healthy, the food is
good, and the land more temperate than Palestine or Syria,
albeit from its position it seems as though one ought to
find the opposite. The land of Egypt is watered by the
Nile alone. The Nile begins to wax on the Feast of the
Nativity^of St. John, and rises until the Feast of the Exal-
tation^ of the Holy Cross ; from that time forth it keeps on
falling until the Epiphany. When the dry land appears,,
the sower casts his seed, and harvests it in March. In
the middle of the river there stands a marble pillar on a
small island* off the ancient city of Meser, which is near
Cairo ; on that pillar they have made marks, by which
they know whether the following harvest will be a good or
a bad one. . Fresh fruit and vegetables are gathered from
Martinmas to March. Ewes and she-goats bear young
twice in the year.

The description of the road from the Promised Land to
Cairo by land, across the wilderness, is as follows :

From Gaza it is three leagues^ to Darum ; it is a good

^ Berenice, behind the headland of Rds Benas. ^ June 24.

3 September 14. Compare Ludolph, chap, xxxiv., p. 78.

4 The island of Roda.

5 Yet, when describing the sea voyage along the coast, from Joppa
to Damietta, he says : ' A Gazara usque Darum milia sunt xv.' Bk. 11.^
Part iv., chap. 25.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

road, with water and plent)^ of grass. Thence to Raphat,^
two leagues ; good road, plenty of water and all things.
Thence to Zasque, four leagues ; not much sand, good
grassy road, plenty of good water. Thence to Heus, four
leagues ; road leads over sand, fairly good water. Thence
to Laris,- four leagues; road all over sand, good enough
water, and a place for buying and selling. [Thence to
Burelaui, four leagues ; road all over sand, good water and
plenty of it.] Thence to Bouser, four leagues ; here the
road divides into the upper and lower road ; the lower is
the most commonly used, and passes by the place called
Sabaquet Baridoil,^ where King Baldwin died. From
Bouser to Tarade is two leagues ; plenty of grass, and
good water ; there is a market there. Thence to Asbede,
four leagues ; there likewise is much sand, plenty of grass
land, good water, and a market. Thence to Viteleb, five
leagues ; much sand, poor grass, and very bad water,
but plenty of it. Thence to Naherlersibia, four leagues ;
much sand, but good water. Thence to Catie* (szc) . . .
leagues ; this is a good village, and fairly good water ;
here the road divides into upper and lower ; both roads
lead to Habesse,^ an excellent village ; the lower road is
the more commonly used of the two.

The upper road is as follows : From Chatie (sic) to Hahras,^
five leagues ; plenty of sand and water, but bad water.
Thence to Bonuruch,^ four leagues ; much sand, and the
water is exceeding bad, bitter, and salt. Thence to Hucar,
four short leagues ; much sand and bad water. Thence
to Asebbi, four leagues ; [much sand, grass, and good
water ; there is a market there. Thence to Hesiuone, four
leagues ;] much sand and good water from a river.
Thence to Masinach, three leagues ; much sand, and good

' Raphia, 7?<2/^^/z. ^ El Arish. 3 Sabkhat BardawiL

^ Katieh. 5 Abes si. ^ El Aras. Bir Abu Ruk.

SECRETS FOR TRUE CRUSADERS.

water from a river. After Sbesbie tilled land begins,
and from thence to Vacaria, a good village, is two long
leagues. There is plenty of water from a river. Thence
to Habesse, three leagues. The road is good, the land
fertile, and the village is full of all good things. Thence to
Belbeis, three leagues ; the land is arable, and the village
large and fertile. Thence to Abirelcara, three leagues ;
fruitful land, good water, and plenty of it. Thence to
Hus, four leagues ; fruitful land, good water, and plenty of
it. Thence to Quiriaci, three leagues ; fruitful land, and
fertile. Thence to Cairo, three leagues ; good road.

The lower road : From Chatie to Aguorabi, four leagues ;
much sand, very little water, and that salt. Thence to
Chauseyr, five leagues ; much sand, and plenty of
water, but very bad water. Thence to Birchisce, four
leagues ; not much sand, plenty of water, but salt water.
Thence to Salchie,^ a good village, four leagues ; abundance
of good water. Thence, to Habesse, six leagues ; good
road, plenty of good water from a river. Thence to Cairo,
as before. Thus the wilderness reaches for about seventy
leagues, and the tilled land for twenty and more, between
Gaza and Cairo.

Salahieh.

INDEX.

Abana river, 2
Abarim, Mount, 20, 28
Abdela, 57
Abelina, 19
Abilene, 29
Abirelcara, 63
Abishag, 22
Abukir, 56
Achan, 13

Achillas, the hill, 15
Acre, 8, 25
Aden, 57
Adtrr, 17

Adiabene, Queen of, 43, 46
Aduniminn, 15
Afasantomar, 12
Afrodosius, 58
Aguorabi, 63
Ahab, 30
Aholibamah, 27
Ai, 14

Alexandretta, 4
Alexandria, 56-58
Amalek, 31

Ammon, 11, 15, 26, 28

„ children of, 16
Amorites, 3, 26
Anah, 27

Anathoth, 20, 24, 43
Annas's house, 50
Anoth Se\r, 10
Antaradus, 2, 5
Antilebanon, Mount, 4, 29
Antioch, 2, 4
Aniipas, 28
Antipatris, 25
Ar, 3, 10
Arabian Gulf, i
Arachus, son of Canaan, 5
Aradius, Aradium, 5
Aram, 10, 11

Areopolis, 3, 10
Aretha, 3, 23
Arimathea, Joseph of, 40
Armenia, i
Arnon, brook, 33
Arsiif, 8
Asbede, 62
Ascalon, 9, 28, 35
Asebbi, 62
Ashdod, 25, 28
Asher, 23

„ land of, 1 1
Ashur, 35

Assassins, country of the, 5
Assur, 9, 25
Ayr, 10

Baa LOAD, 10
Babylon, 2

Babylon (Cairo), 53, 57-63
Bagaras, 4
Bahurim, 16
Balsam, 31

„ garden of, 59
el B'anet, 11
Baracha, 6

Barak, the son of Abinoam, 16, 34

Barca, 60

Basan, 3

Bashan, 11

Bathshemath, 27

Bay era, 56

Bede, 33

Bedouins, 656

Beeroth, 17, 30

Beersheba, 24, 35

Beilan Pass, 4

Belbeis, 57, 63

Belfort, castle, 7

Belinas, 19

Belvoir, 16

INDEX.

Bendocdar, 54

Beroald's Castle, 9, 25, 55
Bersa, 3
Berytus, 6

Besor, the brook, 35
Betesmuth, 12
Bethel, 14, 17
Beth-haccerem, 20
Beth-hoglah, 12
Beth-horon, 21
Bethlehem, 51-55

„ Mount, 31
Bethsaida, 14, 15, 17
Bethsan, 3, 15
Bethsara, 20
Bethshan, 22, 23, 26, 30
Bethshemesh, 24

ot Judah, 23

Bethsur, 17
Bethsura, 35
Bethulia, 17, 29

„ Mount, 17, 34
Beyrout, 6
Bezet, 20
Biblium, 6
Bira, 20
Birchisce, 63
Blanchegarde, 24
Bohan, the stone, 16
Bolcherius, tower of, 56
Bonuruch, 62
Bosra, 17

Botron, or Botrum, 6
Bouser, 62
Bozereth, 3
Bozrah, 10
Brullium, 56
Burelaui, 62

Cabul, 15, 19, 34
Caesarea, 2, 15, 25, 35
„ of Palestine, 8
,, Philippi, 19
Caiaphas, 41, 50

„ house of, 41
Cain, 30, 34
Cairo, 58-63
Calf, golden, 17, 30
Calvary, Mount, 39, 40
Cana of Galilee, 23, 29, 37
Canaan, 5

Capernaum, 2, 14, 15, 32
Cappadocia, i
Caput Beroaldi, 55

Carethi, 21

Carmel, where Nabal dwelt, 16
Mount, 8, 19, 21, 22, 30, 35

Carmeleon, Valley of, 37

Casale Lamberti, 8, 35

Castle, Beroald's, 9, 25, 55
,, Pilgrims', 2, 8, 25

Castle Royal, 24, 35

Castrum Fabae, 23

Catie, 62

Caucasus, 2

Cedron, brook, 43, 45

Champ de Lion, 8

Chatie, 62, 63

Chauseyr, 63

Chedorlaomer, 26

Ctierith, the brook, 14, 34

Chorazim, 12, 15, 32

Church built by St. Peter at
Antioch, 5

Church of Gethsemane, 44, 45
„ of Golgotha, 39
„ of Holy Sepulchre, 38-41
„ of Mount Sion, 41, 42
„ of St. Anne, 48
„ of St. John Baptist, 12
„ of St. John Evangelist,
42

„ of St. Mary of Bethle-
hem, 51-54

„ of St. Mary of the Swoon,
50

„ of St. Paula, 54

„ of St. Saviour on Mount

Sion, 41
„ of Virgin's Sepulchre, 45,

Chus, 57
Clement, St., 5
Cleopatra, 31
Corconus, tish, 14
Crach, 3

Crach des Chevaliers, 5
Cyrene, Simon of, 50

Dalmanutha, 32
Damascus, 2, 3, 13, 27

„ the field of, 18
Damietta, 56, 57
Dan, 9, 17

„ children of. 19

„ river, 15, 32
Dar, or Darum, 9, 55, 6r
David, 10, 18, 47, 48, 5 1

INDEX.

David's Gate, 50

„ Tower, 41
Dead Sea, 12, 28, 33
Debir, 19

Deborah's palm-tree, 17
Decapolis, 15
Deir el Belah, 9
Delta, 52

Demetrius, King, 7
Deuteronomy, 21
Diospolis, 25
Districtum, 2
Docus, 13

Dog's River and Pass, 6
Dora, 8, 25
Dothaim, 29, 34
Dothan, 17

Ebal, 21
Edissa, i
Egypt, 55-63
Ekron, 25
Eleale, 12, 34
Eleutherus, river, 6, 29, 35
Elisha's well, 14, 34
Emmaus, 35

„ (Nicopolis), 23
Endor, 29, 36
Eneglaim, 12
Engaddi, 13, 16, 31, 34
Mount, 31, 34
Engalym, 12
En-hakkore, 35
En-Rogel, 44
Ephraim, 11,17

Mount, 34

Ernon, 12
Er-Roha, i
Esau, 27

Esdraelon, plain of, 17, 37
Eshtaol, 35
Eudaemon, Arabia, 4
Euphrates, i
Evea, Evens, 6
Ezion Geber, 3

Faba, plain of, 23
Fasael, 14

Gadara, I I

Galilee of the Gentiles, 11, 15
„ Sea of, 10-15, 23, 32-34
Garden of balsam, 59
Gate, David's, 50

Gate, Golden, 47

„ of Judgment, 49

„ St. Stephen's, 38

„ Valley, 47, 49
Gaza, 9, 25, 35, 61, 63
Gehinnon, 44
Gennesaret, 15, 33
George's Valley, St., 11, 23
Gerasa, 12
Gerizim, 19, 21
i Gethsemane, 44, 45, 50
Giaour Dagh, 4
Gibeah of Saul, 20, 22
Gibeon, 22
Gideon, 30

Gihon, upper water-course of, 48
„ lower water-course of, 43

Gilboa, Mount, 3, 16, 26, 30

Gilead, 3, 17, 26. 27

Gilgal, 13, 14, 22

Gloriata, 4

Golden calf, 17
„ calves, 30
„ Gate, 47

Golgotha, church of, 39

Goshen, Land of, 56

Habesse, 62, 63
Hahras, 62
Haifa, 8, 25, 34
Haman, 1 1
Hamath, 2, 13, 26
Hamsin, 8
Haylon, 10
Razor, 7, 15, 20, 29
Heber the Kenite, 19
Hebron, 18
Heliopolis, 58

Hermon, 7, 13, 22, 26, 29, 30, 34
! Hermon, the little hill of, 34, 36
I Hermoniim, 29, 36

Herod, 15, 28, 50

Herodium, 15

Heshbon, 3, 10, 28

Hesiuone, 62
i Heus, 62
I Holofernes, 29

Holy Sepulchre, church of the,
38-41

Horites, 26

el Hosn (Gamala), 10

Hospitallers, Knights, 4, 5

House, Annas's, 50

„ Caiaphas's, 41, 50

INDEX.

House, Judas's, 50
„ Pilate's, 49, 50
„ whence M^tihew

called, 14
„ of Zacharia, 35

Hucar, 62

Hunting, royal, 32, 37
Hus, 63

I ABES, 12

Idumaea, 3, 10, 31
Idumaeans, 16, 28
Illustrious Valley, 30
India, 42

Isaiah, sepulchre of, 44
Ishmael, 27
I«>kanderuneh, 8
Ituraea, 3, 6, 15, 32

JAAZER, 33

Jabbok, tne brook, 33, 34

„ the ford, 27
Jabiii, King of Hazor, 32
Jacob's well, 19
Jamnia, 25

Janapara (Jotapata), 15
Jazer, 1 1
Jehoshaphat, 16
Jericho, 12, 13, 15, 28
Jeroboam, 30
Jerome, St., 54

Jerusalem, pilgrimage through-
out, 38, se^.

Jews' Harbour, 25

Jezreel, 21, 22, 30, 37
„ fount of, 30, 34
,, plain of, 34

Job's sepulchre, 1 1

John the Baptist, St., prison of, 10 ;
church of, 12 ; monastery of, m
Egypt, 59

Jokneam (Tell Keimun), 30

Jonah, 21

Jonah's pillar, 4

Joppa, 9, 19, 35

Jor, 19

Jordan, 11, 32-34

„ Valley of, 30
Judaea, 31, 33
Judas's house, 50
Judith, 29
Judyn, 24, 35

I Kaco, 24
Kabul, 15
.-as Kadesh-barnea, 3, 27, 31, 33
, Kadesh Naphtali, 15, 16
I Kaymont, 24, 30
I Kedar, 10, 11, 28
I el Khudr, 1 1
j Kmg Demetrius, 7
! King's Dale, 29
Kirjath Jearim, 23
„ Sepher, 19
Kishon, the brook, 34, 35, 38
Kul'at esh Shakif (iieitort), 7
Kuma, 21

Laban, 27
Lachish, 19, 24, 31
Lamech, 30
Laris (El Arish), 62
Lebanon, 7, 9, 13, 26, 29, 32
„ the head of, 26
„ Mount, 2, 13, 26, 29, 32
„ plain of, 28
„ tower of, 16
Lehi, 35
I Lena, 4
! Lepna, 21
I Lesedan, 19

\ Litany, river. See Eleutherus
Liza, 4
Luz, 17
Lydda, 18, 25

Maccabees, tomb of the, 24
I Maceda, 24
Maceronta, 10
Madan, 32
Magdala, 26, 27
' Magdalum, 13
Magina, 20
Mahanaim, 10, 27
Mahomet, 4

„ law of, 47
Mambre, 18, 20
i Mansora, 57
Mansus, a, 59
Maon, 13, 25
Marah, waters of, 33
Margat, 2, 5
Mark Antony, 25
Mary Magdalen, St., 13
Mary of Egvpt. St., 41
" Masinach, 62
,Massada, 15

INDEX.

Matthew, St., 14
Mecca, 4
Megiddo, 23, 34

„ plain of, 17, 23
el Mekhaur, 10
Memphis, 56
el Merkeb, 2
Meroe, 60
Meser, city of, 61
Mesopotamia, 2, 11, 27
Mezraa, 23
Midianites, 6

Moab, Moabites, 3, 11, 26, 28

Monreal, 3, 10

Montfort, 24, 35

Moreh, Vale of, 30

Mount Abarim, 20, 28
Bethlehem, 31
„ Bethulia, 17, 34
„ Calvary, 39, 40, 50
„ Carmel, 8, 19, 21, 22, 30, 35
„ Engi^ddi, 3I' 34
„ Ephraim, 34
„ Gilboa, 3, 16, 26, 30
„ Gilead, 3, 17, 26, 27
„ Hermon, 7, 13, 22, 26, 29,
30, 34

Lebanon, 2, 13, 26, 29, 32
„ Moriah, 45
„ of Olives, 44, 45
„ Pisgah, 33
„ Rama, 25
„ Sanyr, 10, 1 1, 26
„ Seyr, or Seir, 3, 20, 26-28,
31

„ Sharon, 8, 24, 29
., Sinai, 42
„ Sion, 42, 43
„ called the Table, 13
„ Tabor, 17,23,29,34,37,38
„ Taurus, i, 2
Mountain, Black, 4
Mountains of Samaria, 30

Naasox, 20
Nabal, 16
Nabath, 3

Naboth's vineyard, 21
Naherlersibia, 62
Nahr el Kebir, 7
Nahr el Kelb, 6
Naim, 22, 36, 38
Naphtali, tribe of, 18
Nazareth, 18, 23, 24, 29-31

1 Neapolis, 19, 31
j Nebajoth, 27
i Neel Eshcol, 22

Nephtali of Tobit, 17

Nephym, 6

Nicodemus, 40

Nile, 56, 57, 60, 61
„ vein of the, 14
I Nilometer, 61
I Nineveh, 2

Nob, 22

Nubia, 60

Oak of Mambre, 20
Oak of Rogel, 44
Og, King of Basan, 3
' Old man of the mountains,' 5
Olives, Mount of, 45
Ophrah, 17
Orfa,
j Origen's tomb, 7
Oronte?, 4
Othonaym, 10

Palestine, divisions of, 2

Palm-tree, Deborah's, 17

,, that bowed to the
I Virgin Mary, 58, 59

I Paran, wilderness of, 33
I Passus Portellae, 4

Paula's sepulchre, 54

Pea?, legend of, 5 1

Pella, 12

Pelusium, 57
i Peter, St., 5
I Petra, 3, 10
\ „ incisa, 2
j „ in the wilderness, 28
I Phanuel, 11

Pharamia, 56, 57
I Pharaoh Necho, 22
I Phasael, 34

Phiale, 1 1, 32
I Philistim, 2
I Phoenicia, 21
I Pilate's house, 49, 50
j Pilgrims' Castle, 2, 8, 25
: Pillar, Jonah's, 4
I Pisgah, 13, 33

Pit into which Joseph was cast, 17

Ptolemais, 8, 34-36

Ptolemy the son of Abubus, 13

Pulzyn, 4

Pyramids, 60

INDEX.

QUARENTENA, I4, 31

Ouiriaci, 63

Rabbah, 3
Rachel's tomb, 18, 51
Rages, I
Rama, 18, 20

„ Mount, 31
Ramatha, 20, 22
Ramathaim Zophim, 25
Ramula, 25
Raphat, 62
Rasacasarom, 55
Ravenna, 22
Red Sea, 31, 33, 61
Rephaim, Vale of, 35
Rixa, Gulf of, 55
Roasse, i
Rogel, the well, 44
Roob, 15

Rosetta mouth of the Nile,
56

Rumae Afet, 23

Sabaquet Baridoil, 62
Safet, 15, 17
Sageta, 6
Saida (Sidon), 6
St. Anne's church, 48
St. Clement, 5
St. George's Valley, 11, 23
St. James the Less, 42, 46
St. John Baptist, prison of, 10 ;
church of, 12 ; monastery of, in

Egypt, 59

St. Peter, 5
St. Samuel's, 22
St. Simeon's Harbour, 4
Salchie. 63
Salet, II
Salim, 13
Saltus Domini, 36
Samaria, 17, 38

,, mountains of, 30
Sanir, 10, 11, 26
Saphar, 36
Saphet, 18
Saraa, 24
Sarepta, 6, 25
Sartan, 12
Sbesbie, 63
Scandalium, 8, 25
Scythopolis, 15, 16
Sea, Dead, 12, 28, 31, 33, 34

Sea of Galilee, 10, 12-15, 23, 28,
32, 33

,, of Gennesaret, 15, 33
„ Red, 31, 33, 61
„ of Tiberias, 15, 33
Sebaste, 19

Seir, or Seyr, 3, 20, 26-28, 31

Seleucia, 4

Sephoris, 37

Sephorum, 23

Sephorus, 29

Sepphoni, 18

Sepulchre, Helena's, Queen of

Adiabene, 43, 46
Sepulchre, Holy, 38-41
„ Isaiah's, 44
„ Jehoshaphat's, 44
„ St. James the Less's, 6
„ Origen's, 7
„ Paula and Eusto-

chium's, 54
„ Rachel's, 18, 51
„ the Virgin's, 45
Serpent, legend of, at Bethlehem,
53

Sethyn, 10
Sharon, 24

„ Mount, 8, 24, 29
Shaveh, Valley of, 29
Shechem, 19, 20, 31
Sheep Pool, 49
Shiloh, 18, 22
Shittim, 28
Shobek, 3
Shunem, 22
Sidon, 6, 1 5
Sihon, King, 3, 28
Siloam, 43, 48
Sin, 5
Sinai, 42
Sinochim, 5
Sion, Mount, 41-43
Sisera, 16, 34
Sobal, 3
Sochor, 12
Sodon, 15
Soldyn, 4

Solomon's Temple, 47
Sorek, 35

Spasma Virginis, church of, 50

Staol, 24

Stone Bohan, 16

„ Zoheleth, 44
Sturio, river, 56

INDEX.

Suba, i6
Sububa, 24
Sueta, II

Sur, Wilderness of, 20
Surafend, 7
Suweidiyeh, 4
Suweimeh, 12
Syceleg, 35
Syene, 57, 60
Syria, coast of, 4-9

„ divisions of, 1-3
Syneus, son of Canaan, 5

Table, Mount called, 13

Tabor, Mount, 17, 21, 23, 29, 34,

37, 38
Tammum, 13
Tampne, 13
Tanis, 55, 56
Tantiira (Dora), 8
Tarade, 62
Taurus, Mount, i, 2
Tekoa, 16

Templars, Knights, 9, 25
Temple, the Lord's, 46, 47

„ Solomon's, 47
Teutonic Order, 24
Thebaid, 60
Thebes, 60
Thebez, village of, 19
Tiberias, 15, 23, 33
'i'ibnin, 23
Tigris, I
Timnatha, 24
Timnath-serah, 22
Tirsah, 16
Tophet, 44
Toron, 23
Tortosa, 5

Tower of Bolcherius, 56

„ of David, 41

„ of the flock, 17

„ of Lebanon, 16
Trachonitis, 3, 15, 28, 32
Tracones, 28

Trapasa, 4
Tripoli, 5, 6, 29
Turcomans, 6
Tyre, 2, 7, 23, 25

Umm Keis, 12
Uz, Land of, 28

Vacaria, 63
Valania, 2, 4
Valley of Blessing, 16

„ of Dothan, 17

„ Gate, 47, 49

„ of Gehmnon, 44

„ Illustrious, 30

„ of Jehoshaphat, 44

„ of Jordan, 30

„ of Moreh, 30

„ of Rephaim, 35

„ St. George's, 11

„ of Shaveh, 29

„ of Sorek, 35

„ vi'hich Jacob gave to
Joseph, 19, 20
Vavini, Saracens so-called, 6
Vein of the Nile, 14
Viteleb, 62

Well, Jacob's, 19

' Well of living waters,' 7

Yebnah, 25

Zacharia, house of, 35

Zamin, 21

Zapha, 9

Zasque, 62

Zebulon, 19

Zibelet, 6

Zibeon the Hivite, 27
Ziblin, 24
Ziklag, 23, 35
Zilim, 21
Ziph, 16

Zoan, field of, 48
Zoheleth, 44

INDEX TO NOTES.

Abessi, 62

XjllKCL IVldllllllci, ^{.9

Afuleh, see Fuleh

CI iXd.111, JfS

'Ain Ar^]^■ -yi
0 n Ir T '2

1^*11 CC) 1 1 1 A

„ ridnina, 23, 35

TlH V T A O T

Deir el Belah, 9

„ Karim, 35

Shpms 9 "3 "7/1

„ es Suhan, 13, 14

EPHES-DAMMIM, 12

Tahchflh T

'Alrir ^T<^lrrr>n^

pV A1 t-?

A m m an /'T?aV\l^a1"V» A m rv» rvn i T r*
r\.lllll\<xii iXct U UdLll rVllHllUlJ 1^

Anata 9n

Fahtt Pplla T9

A r» rl ^^ r ^ "P* Ti rl r ^ O T

rt.iiu.u.r ^^iL.uuuryj zi

Fuleh, Castrum Fabae, 23

Arak el Emir, lo

el Aras, 62

Golan, 32

Arbela, 19

el Arish, 58, 62

Hachilah, 15

Aswan, 57
Attarah, 17, 20

Haifa, 8

Hamah, 2

Hamsin, 8

Bahr, name of canals in Egvpt,

Hauran, 11

Hazzur, 21

Banias, 19

Heliopolis, 57

Batrun, 6

Bedala, 57

IRBID, 19

Beisan, 16
Beit Jibrin, 24

JABESH GILEAD, I 5

Jaulan, The, 1 1
Jeb'a, 17

„ Nuba, 22

„ Sahur el Atikah, 20

„ Sur, 17

Tebel ed Douz, 10

„ Ur et Tahta, 21

„ Fureidis, 15, 20

Bir Abu Kuk, 62

„ Koruntil, 14

„ Neby Dhahy, 20, 22

Bireh, 20

Birket el Batrak, 49

Jeddin, 24

„ Israil, 49

Jerash, 12

INDEX TO NOTES.

el Jib, 22
Jokneam, 24, 30
Jotapata, 15

Kabul, 34
Kairarieh, 2
Kakun, 24
Katieh, 62

Kaukab el Hawa, 16

Kedes, 17

Kefr Haris, 22

Kefr Lam, 2

Khan Jubb Yusef, 17, 29

„ Lubben, 21

„ Minieh, 13
Khersa, 12
Khurbet Dustrey, 2
„ Kana, 24, 37
,, Lozeh, 18
Sar, 33
Kuft, Coptos, 57
Kul'at el Kurein, 24
Kureiyat, lo
Kurmul (Carmel), 31
Kus, 57

Kusr Hajlah (Bethhoglah), 12
Kusr el Yehiid, 12

Latron, tombs of the Maccabees,
24

Leontes River, 20

M'ALIA (Castle Royal), 24

Mahumeria, 20

IMansune, 67

Mar Elias, 51

M'aseret Aisa, 13

el Meidan, 32

Mejdel, 15, 32

Melek Musr, the King of Egypt,
54

el Merkeb (Margat), 2

el Meshed, Jonah's tomb at ; the

ancient Gath Hepher, 22
el Mezra'ah, 23
Minieh, 17

Nachal Eshcol, 22
Nazor (Hazor), 21
Neby Samwil, 18, 23
Neby Sebelan, 19
Nein (Nain), 22

On, 57
Oifa, I
Ostracme, 55

Pelusiac mouth of the Nile, 57
Philip's Fountain, 35
Porta Judiciaria, 49

Rabbah, 3
er Ram, 18
Rameh, 18

Ramet el Khalil, 18, 20
Ramleh, 18, 25
Ras Benas, 61

„ el Kasrun, 55

„ en Nakurah, 8
Red Earth, 18
Roda, island, 61
er-Roha, i
er Ruad, 2, 5
Rumeh, 22

Sabkhat Bardawil, 55, 62
Safed, 17
Salahieh, 63

Sebennytic mouth of the Nile, 56
Seffurieh, 29
Shefa' Amr. 36
Sheikh S'ad, 28

Seiyad, 4
Sherir, 26
Shochoh, 23
Shur, 20
Sileh (Zilim), 21
Sorek, Valley of, 24
Sulem, 22
Surafend, 25
Sur'ah, 24
Suweimeh, 12

Taiyibeh (Ophruh), 17
Takht ed Dumm, 15
Talluza, 16
Tammun, 30
Teiasir, 16
Teku'a, 16
Tell Der'ala, 12

„ Farama, 55, 57

„ Hisn, 57

,, Hum (Capernaum), 14
„ Jiljilieh, 13
,, el Kady, 19

INDEX TO NOTES.

Tell Kaimun (Jokneam), 30

„ Kermun, 24

„ M'ain, 31

,, es Safi, 24

„ San el Hajer, 55

„ Zif, 16
Tibnin, 23
Timsah, lake, 57
Tubas (Thebez), 19

Valley of Ajalon, 24
„ Sorek, 24

Wady BreikCtl, 16
Fusail, 34
Hammam, 34
el Kelt, 13
el Melek, 37
Serrar, 35

Yebnah, 25

Zif, 16
Zobah, 16

THE END.

BILLING AND SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORD.

Parn.1 ^xUnJii ult Cyj^i
vrum-ulrflia c'rniaru clai

Port/ij Faloii
JMnlmi/trci

Littmum.
Port'ldbitis
Curaim

SaUjfu UruzS.

Port" pntti ,
ScohumJiiiiJia'"-

Inflila-ohuay.

Satda net

cua. S CAWiatiruz, ,
mtcha

ilrrfnt /

^^i:.*^ -■ - ■ — - - - -

rnos Se^r

arctmin

i Ayr'

amiata

ColfeUa^ JlAalrhanf:

•Ol MiTcporuc fecit hendoadar aitfafcund^

ftoufusOatJcj

HonoTiEayptus-c uillafZ nickta. I
tfJa. puTtia. attbc ciuitau^cct aua. ccOirO
a^mirisfUt' edfcendt huu aaiflcet ^
mafitna/ollau,c& in^tm olitn^ufahat
■moruuhoy. m^titudo.

J/lasy- tunes jtut ^harao
nt cofiit Johtudtnit .

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

Description of the Holy Land,

AND OF THE WAY THITHER.

WRITTEN IN THE YEAR
A.D. 1350.

AUBREY STEWART, M.A.

LONDON :
24, HANOVER SQUARE, W
1895.

PREFACE TO LUDOLPHUS DE SUCHEM.

Nothing seems to be known about Ludolph beyond what
can be gathered from his book. In the dedication he tells
us that he was the rector of the parish church of Suchem,
in the diocese of Paderborn. Where Suchem was, and
whether it should be spelled Sudheim, is what Dr. F.
Deycks declares to be a Rdthsel. Dr. Deycks, professor
at the Royal Academy at Munster, edited Ludolph in
1 85 1 for the Stuttgart Litterarische Verein^ and it is his
edition that I have followed in my translation. Further-
more, Ludolph speaks of Baldwin von Steinfurt, Bishop of
Paderborn, who held the see from 1340 to 1361, as his
gracious lord. In the colophon he says that he wrote his
book out of the devotion and respect which he owed to
him. Perhaps Bishop Baldwin helped him to write it, and
perhaps he was one of the noble lords with whom he asso-
ciated during his five years' sojourn in the Holy Land.
He was there from 1336 to 1341 ; he did not, as some have
imagined, return thither in 1350. Ludolph returned home
in 1 341, and twice was in great danger at sea. Near the
end of his book he alludes to the ' Jew-baiting ' in Germany,
T 348-49, as a new event, which agrees well with his book
having been written in the year 1350.

PREFACE TO LUDOLPHUS DE SUCH EM

As we know so little of Ludolph from his own writings,
the next step obviously is to consult those of Wilhelm von
Boldinsel,! to whom he alludes as a fellow-traveller in the
Holy Land. Wilhelm von Boldinsel (a name, by the way,
to which he was only entitled through his mother) seems
to have begun as a Dominican monk, but afterwards to
have led a wandering life under the protection of that
Cardinal Talleyrand Perigord who strove so ineffectually
to avert bloodshed before the battle of Poictiers. Wilhelm
was sent to the Holy Land on some sort of diplomatic
mission, accompanied by an armed escort. He wrote an
account of his pilgrimage — for he visited the holy places —
in the year 1336.- Ludolph has copied many entire sen-
tences from Boldinsel, and in many passages their descrip-
tions tally, but one does not learn much that is new about
the Holy Land from Boldinsel, and one learns nothing
about Ludolph.

Another contemporary writer is John of Hildesheim.
All that is known of this favourite mediaeval author may
be found in Trithemius's Lzder de scriptoribus ecclesias-
ticis, torn, cxvii. ; in Oudinus's Commentarium de scrip-
toribus eccl. antiquis, iii., p. 1275 ; in Fabricius's Biblio-
theca ined. et inf. Latin ^ iv. 8 ; and especially in Biblio-
tJieca Cannelitana^ Aurelianis, 1752, ii. p. 4. He is called
a Saxon, or a Westphalian, and probably was born at

^ vSee ' Die Edelherren von Boldensele oder Boldensen. i. Zur
Genealogie der Geschlechts ; 2. Des Edelherrn Wilhelm von Boden-
sele Reise nach den Gelobten Land. Von Archiv. Secretair Dr. C. L.
Grotefend. Hannover, 1855, Hof buchdruckerei der Gebr. Janecke.'

- T. Wright, in his 'Introduction' to 'Early Travels in Palestine'
(Bohn, 1848), has a mistake about Boldinsel's date. He landed at
Tyre in 1332, and was at Jerusalem in 1333.

PREFACE TO LUDOLPHUS DE SUCH EM

Hildesheim. He became a Carmelite Friar, studied at
Avignon, whither he went with Petrus Thomas, general of
his order, under Clement VI. (Peter Roger, Archbishop of
Rouen, Pope 1342-52), and became Doctor of Divinity
and professor. In 1358 he was appointed biblims at Paris
by the chapter held at Bordeaux. Afterwards he returned
to Germany and became Prior of Cassel ; as such, he was
sent on a mission to Rome in 1360. On his return he
was made prior of the convent of Marienau, mediated
the peace between the Bishop of Hildesheim and the Duke
of Brunswick, and died in his convent in 1375, where he
lies buried in the choir, beside the founder of the convent.
Count Gleichen. He wrote many works : Chronica His-
toriarum^ De monstris in ecclesia, De Antichristo, In
turpia pingentem^ Defensorium sui ordinis, De fonte Vitae,
Contra Judaeos sermones^ Epistolae, et quaedam alia.
His Historia trium Regum had an immense and imme-
diate success. It is dedicated to Florence de Weuel-
koven, Bishop of Munster, in Westphalia, who held that
see from 1364 to 1379, and died 1393 as Bishop of Utrecht.
As the author died in 1375, his book must have been
written between 1364 and 1375. Some dates mentioned
in his Historia point to this period ; he alludes to events
which took place in the years 1340, 1341, and 1361.

I have extracted these details concerning John of Hilde-
sheim from C. Horstmann's edition of the Historia trium
Regum, because I wished to make it clear that Ludolph
could not have copied John's work. On page 52 of
Ludolph's book, at the end of a list of the nobles who had
independent jurisdictions in the city of Acre, occurs the
name of ' Vaus.' Nowhere else in Ludolph's book is Vaus

PREFACE TO LUDOLPHUS DE SUCHEM

or its lords alluded to; and even here it seems as though
it were apologetically slipped in at the end of the list,
where it might easily escape notice. On turning to John
of Hildesheim, however, I find a great deal about Vaus.
First of all he declares, in chap, i., that he compiled his
Historia trhim Reginn from divers books, known only in
the East, and from hearing, sight, and relations of others ;
in chap. iv. he mentions as his authorities ' books written
in Hebrew and Chaldee of the life and deeds and all
matters of the three kings, which had been brought from
India to Acre by the princes of Vaus, and had been
translated there into French, and were kept there in this
translation by certain nobles.' Mr. C. Horstman, the editor
of ' The Three Kings of Cologne ' for the Early English
Text Society, treats these Hebrew and Chaldaic books
as a mere fiction, and says nothing about the Lords of
Vaus.

Vaus, according to John of Hildesheim's ' History of the
Three Kings,' was the highest and grandest mountain in
the East. After the successful conquest of the Promised
Land by the Israelites the people of India always kept
watchmen on Mount Vaus, and it was from them that the
three kings first received tidings of the rising of the star
in the East. After the return of the three kings from
Bethlehem, when the Apostles separated at the crossways
on Mount Sion, St. Thomas went to India, where he
baptized the three kings, and built a chapel on Mount
Vaus. At the foot of this mount Melchior, King of Nubia
and Arabia, built a great city, named Sewilla, Sezile,
Seuwa or Seulla, for the spelling varies. This undoubtedly
means Saveh in Persia, between Hamadan and Tehran,

vii

where Marco Polo *saw the tombs of the three kings.
The story goes on to tell us that the three kings became
priests, and had therefore no direct progeny, but endowed
some of their relatives, who called themselves Princes of
Vaus, with lands and islands. One branch of the family
of these Princes of Vaus came to Acre shortly before its
fall, and built itself a castle there. These Princes of Vaus
bore a star and a cross in their arms, and John of Hilde-
sheim declares that some of them were present at the court
of Rome as ambassadors in the year 135 1.

I have been unable to find any mention of the Princes
of Vaus in any writer anterior to Ludolph. The name is
not uncommon in England ; for example, a Sir John de
Vaus sat in Parliament as knight of the shire for Notts
in the time of Edward I. There was an Edward Vausse
at Cuckfield, in Sussex, in 1595 ('Miscellanea Genealogica
et Heraldica,' 1890-91, vol. ii., p. 12). G. Vaus witnessed
a marriage in Chester Cathedral, October, 1682. Ursula
Vaus, of Odiham, married one of the Coles of Enniskillen.
But none of these bore the cross and star in their arms,
and none of them seem to have known of the wondrous
pedigree which their name entitled them to claim ; they
mostly trace to De Vallibus, who came over with the
Conqueror, a descent which is commonplace by comparison.

I cannot believe that John of Hildesheim invented the
legend of the Lords of Vaus ; but, on the other hand, 1
cannot find any ground for it. In M. Rey's excellent and

1 Chap. XXX. In the Middle Ages this city was identified with the
Saba of Ps. Ixxii. 10 : ' The kings of Tharsis and of the isles shall give
presents ; the kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts,' which
verse was considered to be a prophetical allusion to the ihree kings.

viii PREFACE TO LUDOLPHUS DE SUCH EM

painstaking reprint of Du Cange's ' Families d'Outre Mer,'
I can find no ' Seigneurs de Vaus,' and though I have spent
some time in trying to trace the story, I have not succeeded
in so doing.

Feh'x Fabri was familiar both with John of Hildesheim
and with Ludolph. He mentions the latter by name (i. 535),
and alludes to the former (i. 637). Moreover, he has repro-
duced all the gossip about the sea and sea-monsters,
islands, etc., which we find in Ludolph's early chapters.

I may add that Robinson (' Palestine,' I. xxiii.), says of
Ludolph's work that it is * decidedly the best Itinerarium
of the fourteenth century.'

AUBREY STEWART.

London, 1895.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE HOLY LAND ...... 3

n. CONSTANTINOPLE ...... 4

in. THE WAY (TO THE HOLY LAND) BY LAND, AND THE

KINGDOM OF GARP (ALGARVE) . . .7

IV. BARBARY AND PUGIA ..... 9

V. THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA . . . .II

VI. THE DIVERS PERILS OF THE SEA . . .12

VII. THE PERIL CALLED ' GULPH ' . . 13

VIIL THE PERIL CALLED ' GRUP ' . 14
IX. THE PERILS OF SHOALS . . . -14

X. PERILS BY FISH . . ". . . -15

XI. DIVERS FISHES . . . . . . 18

XII. MIGRATION OF BIRDS . . . . . 18

XIII. THE VOYAGE ACROSS THE SEA ; TROY, AND THE

ISLANDS . . . . . .19

XIV. THE ISLAND OF SICILY . . . . -23
XV. THE MOUNT VULCAN . . . . .26

XVI. THE CITY OF SYRACUSE . . . . .27

XVII. ACHAIA ....... 28

XVIII. THE CITY OF EPHESUS . . -30

XIX. THE DIFFERENT ISLES OF THE SEA, AND FIRST OF

ALL, RHODES. . . . . -32

XX. CYPRUS ....... 38

XXI. THE VINEYARD OF ENGADDI . . . -39

XXII. THE CITY OF FAMAGUSTA . . . -41

XXIII. SALAMINA AND NICOSIA . . . . .42

XXIV. THE CITIES BY THE SEA. . . . -45
XXV. THE GLORIOUS CITY OF ACRE . . . - SO

XXVI. THE LOSS OF THE CITY OF ACRE . . -54

XXVIL GAZA AND AZOTUS . . . . . 61

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

XXVIII. MOUNT CARMEL . . . . . .63

XXIX. EGYPT ....... 66

XXX. THE GARDEN OF BALSAM . . . .68

XXXI. THE CHRISTIANS AND THE ANCIENT TOMBS . -71

XXXII. ANCIENT BABYLON, OR BALDACH , . -73

XXXIII. THE RIVER NILE . . . . .76

XXXIV. THE LAND OF EGYTT . . . . -78
XXXV. THE DESERT AND MOUNT SINAI . . .82

XXXVI. THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI . . . .89

XXXVII. HEBRON, THE VALE OF MAMBRE, AND BETHLEHEM . 9I

XXXVIII. THE HOLY CITY JERUSALEM . . . -97

XXXIX. THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER . . . IIO

XL. THE MOUNT OF OLIVES. . . . .112

XLI. THE DESERT; JERICHO; SODOM AND GOMORRHA . II4

XLII. THE RIVER JORDAN . . . . . II9

XLIII. RAMATHA, SHILOH, EMMAUS, SICHAR, SAMARIA, AND

GALILEE . . . . . .121

XLIV. THE CITY OF DAMASCUS . . . . I29

XLV. THE VALE OF BOKAR, LEBANON, AND BEYROUT . 135

INDEX . . . . . . .137

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S
DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND

Here beginneth Ludolph's book of the pilgrimage to the
Holy Land.

Dedicated with all due respect and honour to the Right
Reverend Father and Lord in Christ, his gracious Lord
Baldwin of Steinfurt, Bishop of Paderborn, by Ludolph,
rector of the parish church at Suchem,^ in the diocese of
Paderborn.

Many men write at exceeding great length about the
countries beyond the sea, and about the state and condi-
tion of the Holy Land and the provinces thereof, after
having only passed through them once. Now, I have dwelt
in those parts for an unbroken space of five years, being
both by day and by night in the company of kings and
princes, chiefs, nobles and lords. Having, moreover, many
times visited and journeyed through the parts beyond the
sea, I have, out of respect and honour for your fatherly
goodness, and because you were not forgotten by me — I

^ Some authorities spell this place Sudheim. In the Friburg MS.,
partially edited by Sir T. Phillipps in 1825, the place is spelled
Suchen, and the writer's name appears as Peter instead of Ludolph.
The position of Suchem or Sudheim is not known.

2 LUDOLPH VON SUCH EM'S

have, I say, long desired to write an account of the position
of those countries, their condition, their villages, strong
places, cities, castles, men, manners, places of prayer and
wonders ; and not only to write about the lands beyond the
seas, but also of the wonders which are beheld in the sea
by those who cross over the same. Although heretofore
unable to accomplish this my desire, being hindered by
divers and sundry labours, yet I have ever kept the thought
of this writing in my mind, and being now more at leisure,
I have determined to describe throughout the condition in
which 1 found the parts beyond sea in the year of our
Lord 1336, and the condition wherein I left them in the
year 1341, and to write a compendious history thereof
briefly, and according to my humble understanding and
genius and the weakness of my memory. Howbeit, let no
one suppose that I beheld with my eyes each several one
of the things which I intend to put into this book, but that
I have happily extracted some of them from ancient books
of history, and that some things I have heard from the
lips of truthful men, all of which, in whatsoever places they
are written or found, I have decided to trust to the judg-
ment of the discreet reader. Indeed, I should have put in
much more if, when in those parts, I had formed the inten-
tion of writing some account of them a little earlier ; and
at this present day I could put in yet more, which I pass
over because of ignorant cavillers and scoffers, lest I should
tell anything which they could not believe, and for which
I should be held by them for a liar ; for to ignorant cavillers
and scoffers, who are not worthy to know anything at all,
everything seems incredible and passing belief. Where-
fore because to such persons all good things are unknown,
I have been obliged on their account to leave out many
things which otherwise I should have written down and
put into my book.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

I— Of the Holy Land.

Now, the Holy Land, that is, the Promised Land, which
God promised that He would give to Abraham and his
seed, is beloved by God, praised by angels, and worshipful
to men ; for our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to consecrate
the same with His most precious blood, to honour it with
His presence both in the form of our mortal weakness, and
in old times, as we read in Bible history, by the glory of
His Godhead and majesty, and furthermore therein to
redeem the entire human race from eternal damnation.
Yet this land, because of the divers sins of its inhabitants,
has been scourged by God with divers scourges. Not only
is it now scourged in the time of the Christians, but from
old times it has been many times inhabited by divers
peoples, and many times lost and retaken by them, as may
be read in many histories and in the Bible. Yet Jesus
Christ, not unmindful of His glorious Passion, hath cor-
rected the Christians therein with the rod of fatherly chas-
tisement ; so that now, when the sins of the Christians
shall have been ended, and He hath been pleased to restore
the land to us. He will have preserved all their places,
cities, villages, castles and shrines, as one may say, unhurt
to this day ; wherefore they might easily be defended,
inhabited, and restored, and brought back to their original
state, albeit some places and shrines have been sorely
defaced by the Saracens. For, as the eye is the dearest
and tenderest part of a man^s body, and can endure no
foreign substance within itself, so is the Holy Land even as
an eye to God, and for that cause He cannot endure un-
repented sins therein.

He that would go to the said Holy Land must beware
lest he travel thither without leave from the Apostolic
Father, for as soon as he touches the shore of the Soldan's

LUDOLPH VON S^UCHEM'S

country he falls under the sentence of the Pope, because
since the Holy Land came into the hands of the Soldan, it
was, and remains, excommunicate, as are likewise all who
travel thither without the Pope's leave, lest by receiving
tribute from the Christians the Saracens should be brought
to despise the Church. For this cause, when any traveller
receives his license to go thither from the Apostolic Father,
besides the leave which is granted him, there is a clause in
the Bull to the effect that he shall not buy or sell anything in
the world, save only victuals and clothes and bodily neces-
saries, and if he contravenes this he is to know that he has
fallen back again under sentence of excommunication.
There are, however, I have heard, many grounds on which
one may journey thither without leave ; for example, if the
traveller be in religion, if a man's father, mother, or friend
be sick there, or held in captivity, then he may travel
thither without leave, to seek for them or to ransom them, or
when anyone is sent thither to make peace or to arrange
and restore any other good thing. But to return to my
subject. Whosoever would journey to the Holy Land
must go thither either by land or by sea. If he would go
by land, 1 have heard from some who know it well that
the best way is through Hungary, Bulgaria, and the king-
dom of Thrace, but they say that the road is a very tedious
one. Nevertheless, he who could toil over it in safety
would come by land, and not by sea, to Constantinople. I
will say somewhat about this city.

n. --Constantinople.

Constantinople is an exceeding beautiful and very great
city. It measures eight miles in circuit, and is built in the
shape of a triangle of buildings in manner and form like
those of Rome, having two of its sides on the banks of an
arm of the sea, which is called the Arm of St. George, while

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND. 5

the third side lies inland. The city is decorated with
sundry and divers ornaments, which were built by the
Emperor Constantine, who named it Constantinople. The
Greeks at this day call it Bolos.^ In this city there is a
church of wondrous size and beauty. I do not believe that
in all the world there is a greater than it, for a ship with
all its sails spread could easily turn itself round therein,
and I do not dare to write fully about its vastness. This
church is consecrated in honour of Sancta Sophia"^ in Greek,
which in Latin means ' the Lord's Transfiguration.' It is
adorned with many solemn relics of divers sorts, to wit :
the seamless coat, one of our Lord's nails (of the cross), the
sponge, and the reeds,^ and it is crowned with other relics
of divers saints. In the midst of this church stands a great
marble column, whereon is a well-gilt brazen statue of the
Emperor Justinian'* on horseback, adorned with the imperial
crown and royal vestments, having in his left hand a golden
orb^ after the imperial fashion, and pointing to the east with
his right as a threat to rebels in that quarter. In this church
there is also a piece of the pillar whereat Jesus was scourged,
and an exceeding great number of bodies of saints and of

1 IIoAts.

2 F. Deycks's comment is : ' Es scheint, Ludolf verstand nicht
Griechisch.'

3 W. von Boldinsel, A.D. 1336, saw these relics, and 'the greater
part of the cross ' as well.

4 See Procopius, 'De Aedificiis,' in this series, Book I., chap. ii. ;
also Sir John Maundeville, chap, i., fin. John of Hildesheim declares
that the Empress Helena placed the bodies of the Three Kings beneath
this statue.

5 The emblem of sovereign power. Compare John of Hildesheim,
chap, xxiii. : ' Pomum autem aureum quod Malchiar cum xxx denarijs
optulit quondam fuit AUexandri magni, et totaliter potuit manu
includi, mundum significans, quod ex minimis particulis tributorum
omnium provinciarum conflari fecit, et ipsum semper manu portavit
et velud sua potencia totum mundum manu conclusit ; quod pomum
in India remansit quando de Perside reversus esi,' etc.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEAPS

Roman pontiffs rest therein. This may be known to be
true, because in my own days certain gentlemen came
thither from Catalonia and served the Emperor of Con-
stantinople for pay, and when they departed begged the
Emperor above all for relics. He granted their prayer, set
up as many bodies of saints as they numbered heads, and
the gentlemen stood afar off and chose each a body in turn,
according to their rank. Every one of them who was de-
serving thereof obtained an entire saint*s body, and all were
content and returned to their own country with joy. I do
not venture to say any more about the other ornaments of
this church. In this city the Emperor of the Greeks con-
tinually dwells. He who was Emperor^ in my time had
the sister of Duke Henry of Brunswick for his spouse, and
on her deatli married the daughter of the Count of Savoy.
In this city dwells likewise the Patriarch of the Greeks,
whom the Greeks obey in all things, even as the Latins
obey the Pope, and they make no account of the Apostolic
Father, neither do they regard any of his commands save
such as please themselves. For since the Greeks became
separated from the Church of Rome through heresy, they
have chosen this Patriarch, and obey him as Pope even to
this day. In Constantinople all such things as bread,
meat, fish, and the like are sold as it were for nothing,
and nothing is dear there save wine, which is brought
thither from Naples. In this city dwell many different
nations. There is also much cold weather there, where-
fore meat is salted there, which cannot be done elsewhere
in Asia because of the heat. There also turbots are caught

^ 'Andronicus III,, Palaeolopu?, Kaiser 1321 bis 1341, war zuerst
vermahlt mit Agnes (spater Irene genannt), der Tochter Herzog's
Heinrich's I. und Schwcster Heinrich's 11. Herzogs von Braunschweig,
in 2ter Ehe aber mit Anna, der Tochter des Grafen Amadeus V. von
Savoyen.' — Dr. F. Deycks.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

and dried, and are exported from thence to all parts of
Asia. In this city, also, in the Emperor's uld palace, there
are some stone cups/ which of their own accord fill them-
selves with water and straightway empty themselves, and
again fill themselves and become empty. There are withal
great and excellent pearls, in very great quantities and
very cheap. The reader should know that once the Em-
peror of the Greeks and the Greek people bore rule over
the whole of Asia, both the greater and the lesser, and had
them for their own, but since they have been divided from
the Church of Rome by schism, they have almost entirely
lost those countries. For sentence hath been pronounced
against them that whosoever can take any of them captive
may lawfully sell them as though they were cattle, and any
Latin who can obtain land (there) by force may lawfully
hold the same until they return to the bosom of Holy
Mother Church and be converted. Wherefore they have
lost exceeding great lands and kingdoms, as you shall be
told hereafter.

III.— The Way (to the Holy Land) by Land, and
THE Kingdom of Garp (Algarve).

But to return to my subject, and leaving Constantinople,
from it one could go to the Holy Land by land, if travelling
were safe through the Turks and Tartars and other hind-
rances in the way. But by sea from Constantinople one
must cross over to the kingdom of Cyprus, as you shall be
told hereafter. This way, whereof I have made mention,
leads ever northwards by land to Constantinople ; and
from Constantinople, if it could be done with convenience
and safety, one might go by land over the whole world

^ Fabri, i. 358, mentions these 'shells,' as he calls them, and com-
pares them to the weeping pillars of St. Helena's chapel.

8 LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

towards the south, wherefore there is no need to go by sea.
In like fashion one ought to be able to go (to the Holy
Land) through Barbary and the kingdom of Morocco, and
the kingdom of Granada ; but the Barbarians will not
suffer the Christians to pass through. Yet Saracens who
dwell in Spain and Arragon pass along this road when
they would visit the courts of their prophet Mahomet,
but Christians cannot pass through these kingdoms, for
these two kingdoms of Morocco and Granada are exceed-
ingly powerful and rich, and are inhabited by Saracens who
care naught for the Soldan, and are ever at odds with the
King of Spain, and ever help the King of Algarve, who is
a Saracen, and whose kingdom lies on the borders of Spain,
on that part of the sea which lies over against the King of
Spain. You must know^ that on that side of the sea the
kingdom of the Saracens still endures, and is called the
kingdom of Algarve, being exceeding powerful and lying
on the Spanish border, as aforesaid. It has many great
cities and strong places and towns, and I believe that the
King of Garp is more powerful than the Soldan ; for if
need were, he could in half a day have more than a hundred
thousand stout armed men, and it is he who ever has
quarrelled and quarrels at this day with the Kings of Spain
and Castile, as you have often heard and known. Like-
wise, in the kingdom of Arragon all the towns and cities
have Saracens dwelling in them, in which, nay, in each one
of which, the King has a lofty tower with guards, who
watch lest the Saracens should set any mischief on foot,
and whenever the Governor of any town wishes to force
the Saracens to do anything, he gives them the swine to
feed and drive to pasture, which thing is forbidden by their
law, and by this and other means he forces the Saracens to
do his will.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

IV. — Barbary and Pugia.

Barbary is a land which is mostly sand and desert, and
they who dwell therein are black Ethiopians. Near
Barbary is another small country, not six (? German) miles
wide, named Pugia/ wherein apes are bred and caught. All
the dwellers therein have faces like apes, both men and
women, and keep apes in their houses even as in these
parts men keep dogs and fowls, and from these apes they
breed young ones, which they sell and so make their
living. For this cause they geld the young apes, lest any
should be bred elsewhere ; yet I have often seen young
apes bred in divers parts. It should be noted that between
Morocco and Spain the Mediterranean Sea flows out to the
ocean through an arm scarce a quarter of a mile in breadth ;
wherefore upon one bank there stands a Christian woman
and on the other bank a heathen woman washing their
clothes, and wrangling and quarrelling with one another.^
This arm of the sea is called by the inhabitants the Straits
of Gibraltar, or the Straits of Morocco.

After one has crossed this little arm of the sea, one could
go by land over the whole world to the southward, as I
said before, were there no hindrances in the way. It is
across this arm of the sea that the Kings of Morocco and
Granada come to the help of the King of Garp, for they
easily cross over it. As the Mediterranean Sea runs out
of the ocean through this arm between Spain and Morocco,
even so in the same fashion does the Mediterranean Sea
run into the Pontic Sea near the walls of Constantinople,
through the arm of the sea which is called 'the Arm of
St. George,' which is of the same width as the aforesaid.

^ Bougiah, on the coast of Algeria, in longitude 5° E.
2 Fabri (vol. i., p. 115) copies this story, and also the stories about
Gulph and Griip and the fishes.

LUDOLPH VO^N SUCHEM'S

And it should be known that in the Pontic Sea no land is
found any more, nor is any known of, save only an island
called Cherson, whither St. Clement^ the Pope was exiled
and drowned in the same sea ; and we read that in this sea
there is a marble temple, to which a passage is open on
the day of his feast ; but at the present day it is not,
albeit of old it was so. For the body of St. Clement rests
at Rome, and the island is deserted, albeit from it most
beauteous and excellent marble is exported. [There^
is another sea to the east beyond the city of Gara,
which is held by the Tartars of Cumana,^ which sea
is called the Caspian. This sea does not join either the
ocean, the Mediterranean, or the Pontic Sea by any visible
arm. Some declare that it is connected with the Pontic
Sea, which is the nearest to it, by an underground passage,
and consequently is connected with all the others. This
Arm of St. George whereof I have spoken divides Europe
from Asia Minor, which is a province of Greater Asia.
This arm is commonly called the mouth of Constantinople,
because thereon on the European shore stands the noble
city of Constantinople, also called New Rome, as afore-
said.]

^ St. Clement, according to tradition, was the third successor of
St. Peter, and suffered martyrdom in the Black Sea, into which he
was cast with an anchor fastened to his neck. Presently the waves
receded, and the corpse of the saint was found seated in a little
chapel, with the anchor still attached to it. His feast-day is Novem-
ber 23.

2 Only one MS. has this. Deycks thinks it is a later insertion :
' Ubricjens hat Felix Fabri' (Th. I.,s. no) 'diese Sielle benutzt.' See
Felix Fabri, i. 116, in this series.

3 Tartarus de Cumana=Comania. See Jean du Plan de Carpin's
account of this country in Chanon's ' Voyageurs anciens et modernes '
(Paris, 185 1), vol. i., p. 230. See also ' De regno Cumanae' in chap, ii.,
and in Appendix to Ha\ ihon's ' Historia Orientalis,' in vol. ii. of the
' Fragmentum 'of Vmceat of Beauvais, ed. R. Reineccins, Helmstad,
MDLXXXV.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

v.— The Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea is that over which one sails to
the Holy Land, and is called the Mediterranean Sea
because it has to the east Asia, whose frontier it forms, to
the west and north Europe, and to the south Africa,
which countries it separates by its arms. Africa and
Europe, I have heard, are divided by a river named Tnda,^
wherein the forty martyrs were drowned, and this same
river passes by a certain city named Biterris,- and it is
called Biterris because it stands between two lands — to wit,
Africa and Europe. Its Bishop is called the Bishop of
Biterris. The Roman philosophers who divided the world
among the Romans built this city long ago in the days of
Hannibal, and he built another city close by it, named
Narbcnne, as though it told good tidings {narrans bond),
which city is now the capital of Biterrae, and the Bishop is
called the Bishop of Narbonne. I have often been in that
country. But to return to my subject. You must know
that the Mediterranean Sea runs in and out, as you have
heard, and ebbs and flows, and without doubt is never still,
as may be plainly seen between Calabria and Sicily,
between which the sea runs so hard that no sailor dares to
sail through without a special pilot, and as may be clearly
seen in many other places. It should also be known that
the Mediterranean Sea is not in all parts of the same width,
but in some places it is wider and in some narrower than
in others. It is widest measuring from west towards the

^ Indre in Berry, says Dr. F. Deycks ; but 'Gallia Christiana ' gives
' Riterrensis ' as the title of the Bishop of Beziers, under the Arch-
bishop of Narbonne.

2 For Beziers see ' Gallia Christiana,' by Sainte Marthe (Paris, 1705),
vol. vi., p. 293. The forty martyrs are generally supposed to have
suffered at Sebaste, or Ancyra, in Asia Minor. See 'Acta Sanctorum,'
March 9.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEAPS

east, as in Spain, Galicia, Catalonia, and partly in Pro-
xence ; but it is narrower measuring from the west to the
east, as in Calabria, Apulia, Naples, Venice, and the neigh-
bourhood of these places.^

VI.— The Divers Perils of the Sea.

So he who would go by sea to the Holy Land must or
may take ship from whatsoever land, or city, or port, of
the same that he may choose, and this matter I leave to
his free will. With regard to food also, let him take as
much as he can or as he has ; but in general men sailing
from the West to the East are wont to make provision of
food for fifty days, though when sailing from the East to the
West they are wont to provide food for one hundred days,
because the ship always flies as it were from west to east
with a fair wind, making more way in the ni^ht than in
the day, and travelling fully fifteen miles in every hour of
the day. The reason is that the Western land is always
exceeding cold and very windy. On the other hand, the
Eastern land is exceeding hot and altogether without
wind ; wherefore one sails much slower over the sea when
returning than when going thither, and especially because
great ships going from the West to the East are wont to
return in the months of September and October, but
galleys and vessels of that sort begin their voyage thither
from hence in August, when the sea is smooth ; for in
November, December, and January no vessels can cross the
seas because of storms. Howbeit no vessels can, except
very seldom, return without toil, peril, fear, and tempest.
Of this I am w ell assured, seeing that I have often been in
sundry storms at sea beyond all description [for no man
can fully describe, neither would anyone believe that there

' I have translated this passage as it stands, but cannot guess its
meaning.

DESCRIPTIOX OF THE HOLY LAND.

can be such unheard-of and exceeding fierce storms at sea].
Indeed, I know it to be true that there is no stone or sand
at the bottom of the sea that is not moved, if it can be
moved, when the sea rages and raves thus, and this is
often proved among islands, where the sea is narrow,
where an exceeding great number of stones are cast from
one shore to another in storms. Once when a certain man
was travelHng on the Armenian coast in a galley, a sudden
storm arose in the night, whereby they lost three men, and
in the morning found the galle)^ covered deeper than the
hand could reach with sand cast up by the sea in its rage.
As the perils of the sea arise from divers causes, I have
thought it well to tell somewhat about them.

VII. — The Peril called ' Gulph.'^

First of all perils arise from the natural winds, as afore-
said ; and likewise from extraordinary winds which sailors
at sea call gulph, which proceed from the hollows of moun-
tains, and do not do mischief to ships unless they are very
near. In the year of our Lord 1341, on the night of the
Sunday whereon Laetare Jerusalem- is sung, we were
sailing from the East and had a very good east wind, so
that the vessel, with six sails set, travelled all night as
though she were flying ; but in the morning at daybreak
as we were sailing toward the Satalian^ mountains, with
the sailors all asleep, this same giilph flung the ship with
all its sails violently on its side into the sea, so that all the
sails were wetted, and the ship ran for a long distance
almost upon its side, so that had the ship heeled over a
palm's breadth more upon its side, we must all have been

^ Ital., colpo di vento.

2 The introit which gives its name to the Fourth Sunday in Lent.

3 Satalia, a city in Asia Minor, the ancient Attaleia in Pamphylia,
now Adalia.

LUDOLPH VON SU CHE APS

drowned. Howbeit we cut all the ropes and fastenings of
the sails until the ship righted itself somewhat, and so by
the grace of God we then escaped that great peril.

VIII.— The Peril called Grup.^

There are also other perils at sea arising from an un-
natural wind, which sailors call ^ru/>. It arises from the
meeting of two winds, and sailors easily see it coming.
Yet I have suffered peril from it even on my outward
voyage. Moreover, there are other perils at sea from
pirates or corsairs, who attack a ship even as men do a
castle. But this peril has been much allayed since the
cit)' of Genoa has chosen unto itself a Doge.

IX. — The Perils of Shoals.

There are also other perils at sea, which sailors call
shoals. In respect of these you must know that the sea is
not of the same depth in every part thereof, for in the sea
there are mountains and rocks, grass and green stuff even
as upon land, and these mountains and rocks are higher in
some places and lower in others. In some places the
rocks and mountains are scarce covered by a palm or a
cubit of water, and for this cause no one dares to sail to the
south towards Barbary, for many rocks and shoals are to be
found there covered by the water. These perils are greatly
to be feared at sea. Moreover in storms it is proved that
grass and green things grow in the sea, for at such times
sundry kinds of grass are found cast up on the shore, and
also coral, whose branches stink when they are cast up
from the bottom of the sea, and are afterwards polished by
master craftsmen. Corals are at first white and stinking,

' ' Das Wort " Grup " ist Italienisch. Gruppo di vento, ein Wirbel-
wind.' — Dr. V. Deycks.

DESCRIPTIOX OF THE HOLY LAND.

but by the attraction of the sun on the bottom of the sea
where they grow they are made red, and they grow in the
fashion of a small bush of one ell in height. When they
are thus cast up by the sea in great quantities, men gather
them and sell them while yet stinking. I have seen in
one house more coral than fifty horses could carry ; I do
not dare to say more.

X. — Perils by Fish.

Likewise in the sea there are other perils, which, how-
ever, rarely befall any save little vessels ; that is to say,
perils from great fish. About these you should know that
there is in the sea a certain fish which the Greeks call
Troya marina,^ which means sea-swine, which is greatly to
be feared by small ships, for this same fish seldom or never
does any mischief to great ships unless pressed by hunger.
Indeed, if the sailors give it bread, it departs, and is satis-
fied ; but if it will not depart, then it may be terrified and
put to flight by the sight of a man's angry and terrible
face. Howbeit, the man must be exceeding careful when
he is thus looking at the fish not to be afraid of it, but to
stare at it with a bold and terrible countenance ; for if the
fish sees that the man is afraid it will not depart, but bites
and tears the ship as much as it can. If, however, the
man looks boldly and savagely at the fish with an angry
countenance, the fish becomes affrighted thereat and de-
parts from the ship. An exceeding notable sailor has told
me that when he was a youth he fell into peril with this
in a small ship. There was with him in the ship a youth
who thought himself exceeding brave and fierce, so that

^ Troja marina is the Italian ; French, truie de nier ; German, das
Meerschwein^ die Stachelsau, ein Art der Scorpasna. — Dr. F. Deycks.
Fabri, who has copied all this gossip about the sea (i. 125), spells the
name of this fish ' Troyp.'

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

when the fish met him he would not give him bread because
of the courage which he thought that he had, but lowered
himself down by a rope from the ship to the water to look
at the fish with an angry face, as is the custom. But when
he saw the fish he was straightway affrighted and shouted
to his comrades to pull him up by the rope, and the fish,
seeing the man's fright, leaped out of the water as he was
being drawn up, and with one bite took off half the man
from his belly downwards, and departed from the ship.
Yet it is said that this fish is not as long as a man can cast
a stone, neither is it broad, but its head is exceeding great
and broad, and all the damage which it does to ships it
does by biting and tearing them.

I have also heard from another very truthful sailor, who
knows almost all the paths of the sea, and who has under-
gone numberless frightful perils of divers sorts at sea — this
same man told me that once near Barbary he was forced
by a contrary wind to sail in places where sailing is ex-
ceeding perilous, because of the rocks and shoals barely
covered by water, while not far from such places no bottom
could ever be found at ten thousand ells. Now, while he
was thus sailing in these places with the greatest possible
fear and danger, it chanced that the ship ran upon a fish
which the French call melar^ who was lurking among the
rocks there. The fish, when it perceived the ship coming
towards him, thought that it was some great morsel which
he could swallow, and opening his mouth gave the ship so
strong a bite that, albeit heavily laden, it was nevertheless
driven back a long way, and all the people on board were
awakened by that bite and shock. When the sailor per-
ceived that the ship had recoiled from something impas-
sable, he cried out to the people of the ship to pray to

^ Possibly from molaris. The word does not occur in Littrd. See
Facciolati's Lexicon, s.v. Xiphias.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND. 17

God for their souls, seeing that there was no hope for their
lives, for surely the ship must have struck some great rock.
And straightway the mariners, the servants of the ship,
went down into the hold, wishing to see where the ship
was broken. They found that a fish's tooth, as thick as a
beam, and three cubits long, had pierced the ship. They
afterwards tried to pull out this part of the tooth with iron
instruments, and could not, but with a saw they cut it level
with the ship's side. There can be no doubt that the ship
would have been broken had not this tooth been so sharp,
and so wondrously pierced it. As I was wondering at the
length and breadth of such a fish, the same sailor told me
not to wonder, because there was in the sea a fish a mile
long, which was four thousand six hundred miles (? ells)
wide in the narrowest part, and even in a small pond not
more than one crossbow-shot wide, fish an ell long are often
caught. I have seen three such fishes off Sardinia. They
puffed out water with their breath into the air in vast
quantity, further than a crossbow could shoot, and made a
noise like thunder. Moreover, in my time near the isle of
Tortosa, such a fish while chasing other little fishes cast
himself up on the dry land, driving a great wave of water
before him, and when the water ran back into the sea the
fish remained on the dry land, and fed all the dwellers in
those parts with his flesh and fat. But not long afterwards,
as the sun's heat increased, all that country was poisoned
by the stench of the fish as it became putrid, and for a long
time the skeleton of the fish could be seen from afar like a
great house overset v/ith rafters sticking- up in the air, but
after awhile was carried down lower by storms and squalls.
And I have heard from many men of knowledge that there
is an exceeding long eel in the sea.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

XI. — Divers Fishes.

Likewise in the sea there are very many kinds of fishes
of divers sorts, both great and small, of sundry colours, ap-
pearance, shape, and arrangement, some with scales and
some without, the nature of all of which cannot be under-
stood by the human mind. Among these fishes of all
sorts there are some which are exceeding wondrous, who
lift themselves a long way up out of the water, but level
with it, and withal fly for a long distance like bats ; but I
am not sure how far they can fly.

I have diligently inquired of knowing seamen whence
these fish come, and they have answered me that in England
and Ireland there grow on the sea-shore exceeding beau-
teous trees, which bear fruit like apples. In these apples
there is bred a worm^ and when the apples are ripe they
fall to the ground, are broken in the fall, and the worms
fly out, having wings like bees. Those of them who first
touch the land become creatures of the air, and fly about
with the other fowls of the heavens ; but such worms as
first touch the water become creatures of the water, and
swim like fish, but yet sometimes wander into the other
element and exercise themselves by flight. Whether they
do so grow upon trees I do not know beyond having heard
the story ; but they are eaten like fish, and are seen to fly
by men voyaging at sea.

XII.— Migration of Birds.

You must also know that in due season a vast number
of birds of all sorts, great and small, journey across
the sea from the west to the east and back again, more
especially cranes, quails, and swallows, and countless other
birds of all sorts and colours, great and small, whose names

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

and numbers God alone knows. They fly from island to
island on their way, and are so lean that they are nothing
but bones and feathers, and so weary that they care not for
stones or arrows. I have caught quails ... on board
ship, but they straightway died. Yet in all the parts in
which I have been beyond the seas, I have never seen a
stork ; but once in a monastery of Minorites I saw a stork
which was held to be a wonder for size. Likewise I have
often been asked about swallows, whether they wintered in
my country. I said ' No,' but that in my country they
came in March, even as they did there, and no one knows
from whence they come. Now, it befell that once upon a
time, in some great lord's palace, the steward was sleeping
upon a table, when there came two swallows quarrelling
about a nest, and clinging to and biting one another, so
that they both fell upon his face as he slept. He there-
upon awoke, caught both the swallows on his face, and
held them fast. He then bound a girdle round each of
them, and let them fly away, and they came back every
year with those same girdles to their nests. I could tell
exceeding long stories about other sorts of birds, both
great and small, who at their own times cross the sea, but
must return to my subject and write no more about such
matters.

Xni. — The Voyage across the Sea ; Troy, and
THE Islands.

Whosoever, then, would visit the Holy Land, or the parts
beyond the sea, must travel thither in a ship or a galley.
If he travels in a ship, then he passes straight across the
sea, not putting into any port, unless forced so to do by
contrary winds, want of food, or some such matter of prime
necessity, and so he leaves Barbary on his right hand
toward the south, and leaves Greece on his left hand

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

toward the north. He gets a distant view of many famous
islands, to wit, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Manta, Goy,
Scarpe, Crete, Rhodes, and very many other islands, both
great and small, and after seeing all these he arrives at
Cyprus. But if he crosses in a galley, you must under-
stand that a galley is a sort of oblong vessel which journeys
from one shore to another, from one port to another, keep-
ing ever close to the beach, and always putting into harbour
ashore for the night. It has sixty benches on either side,
and to each bench belong three sailors with three oars, and
one archer. On board of a galley fresh provisions are
always eaten, which cannot be done on a ship. Now, while
the galley is journeying thus along the shore, one sees
numberless exceeding fair places, cities, towns and castles,
and more especially all those places which in a ship are
only seen afar off are seen close at hand from a galley and
minutely scanned by the eyes. Thus, it may almost be
said that in a galley one coasts round the whole of the
northern part of the world, as will be seen hereafter. As
one is going thus in a galley from place to place, and from
port to port, one comes to Constantinople, whereof I have
already told you, and after leaving that city one comes
down along the shore of Asia Minor to the place where
once stood that most noble city Troy, whereof no trace
remains visible, unless it be some foundations under water
in the sea, and in some places a few stones and some
marble columns buried in the earth, which, when found, are
carried away elsewhere. For in respect of this you must
know that in the city of Venice there is not a stone column
or any good cut-stone work which has not been brought
thither from Troy. Near the place where Troy once stood
a little city has been built, which is called Aj/os Yamos in
Greek, and is inhabited by Greeks. The city of Troy stood
upon the sea-shore in the land called Phrygia, and is not

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

very far distant from Calcedonia, but does not seem to
have had a good harbour. As one goes on in a galley
from Troy one sees the shores of Lombardy, Campania,
Calabria, and Apulia, and one comes to an island named
Corsica. It was near this island that St. Paul the Apostle
was shipwrecked after he had made his appeal unto Caesar
when taken prisoner in Judaea, and here it was that in the
evening, when sitting by the fire in the inn, he was bitten
by a viper and escaped unhurt, as we read in the Acts of
the Apostles. On this island there still dwell men who
boast that they are of the family of that innkeeper in
whose inn these things befell St. Paul. These same people
give to men the power of curing with their spittle any who
may have been bitten by serpents or asps. When they
confer this power upon any man they take a glass full of
wine, and drink thereof first, and then put therein a good
deal of their spittle, and if he who is offered to drink
thereof is seized with loathing, they thereupon mix earth
with the wine, and give it to him that would receive this
power or grace, saying, ' Receive thou the power and grace
bestowed by God upon us and our children, in honour of
St. Paul the Apostle, which we in the same name bestow
upon you, that whensoever thou shalt be bitten by a ser-
pent, asp, or any other venomous beast, thou mayest with
thy spittle be able to cure and heal thyself and no other
man ; and this we grant thee without taking reward for the
same, and give it to thee for God's sake. In the name of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.-* Should
anyone heal any other man besides himself, he straight-
way loses the power, but at the time it benefits him who is
healed. From this isle of Corsica one sails to Sardinia,
an exceeding noble island, of good and fertile soil, abound-
ing in flocks, herds, and dairies, but not with wine, which
is brought thither from elsewhere. In this island formerly

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

rested the body of St. Augustine/ but the King of the
Lombards translated it thence to Pavia. In this island
also was born St. Macarius, most notable among hermits.
This island once belonged to the Pisans, but the King of
Arragon took it from them by force. It does not contain
many cities, but has one fine city named Castel de Cal,^
Near this is a castle named Bonayr.^ On Ascension Day
in the year 1341, we were driven upon this island in an
exceeding great ship by a most furious and violent tempest
which suddenly arose, so that it took us fifteen days to
recover the distance which we ran before the storm from
the sixth hour to the time of vespers. The oldest man of
modern times remembers no such great storm at sea. The
same night that we were driven thither thirty-four other
great ships assembled there, which had, like ourselves, been
driven thither from divers parts of the sea, and numberless
other craft, both great and small, some of which had cast
their cargo overboard, and some were damaged. Among
all these ships there came the greatest ship in all the world
from Naples, laden with a thousand tuns of wine of the
largest size, with more than six hundred men and divers
kind of merchandise, with which she was bound for Con-
stantinople, but was driven back by the violence of the
storm. This island of Sardinia is close to another little
isle, called Sauper, that is to say, St. Peter's Isle,^ whereon

^ St. Augustine's body was brought from Hippo in 506 (he died
there in 430) to Sardinia, and from thence was brought by King
Luitprand in 725, first to Genoa, and then to Pavia, where King
Luitprand built the church of St. Peter and St. Augustine, called
Cielo d'Oro. A monument to these saints was later erected in the
cathedral.

2 Calaris, Cagliari.

3 Bonaria.

4 There is a little island called San Pietro off the south-west coast
of Sardinia.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

there are wild horses, exceeding small and of great beauty,
which for their swiftness cannot be taken, save that by
stealth they are shot with arrows and eaten for venison.
Between this island and Provence the sea is exceeding
dangerous, and this place is called by sailors Gulph de
Lean, which is, being interpreted, 'the lion's rage.' For
though a ship may have sailed peacefully over all the rest
of the sea, yet it never crosses this arm of the sea without
great storms, dangers and alarms, wherefore this same
place is called Gulph de Leun. From this island of Sar-
dinia men sail to the island of Sicily, a most noble country
measuring eighty miles round about. This is an exceed-
ing good kingdom, and this island is fertile beyond all the
neighbouring countries, for when by failure of rain there is
dearth in all lands and parts beyond the sea, they are fed
and helped by Sicily alone.

XIV.— The Island of Sicily.

This kingdom of Sicily hath within it seven bishoprics
and one metropolitan — to wit, he of Monreal, who in my
time was a Minorite friar. Moreover, it has very many-
exceeding strong and noble cities, fortalices, and towns,
and especially most beauteous and strongly fortified cities
on the sea-shore, all of them with good harbours — to wit,
Messina, Palermo, Trapani, and Catania. In the city of
Catania dwell Dominican friars, who have a painting of the
Blessed Mary at the time of the Annunciation, which the
people of the city greatly reverence, as do also those who
sail upon the sea, for no ship passes within a certain
distance thereof without greeting and visiting this picture,
and they tell one, and firmly believe, that if any ship were
to pass by without greeting or visiting the picture, it would
not reach home without meeting with a storm. In the city

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

of Catania St. Agatha suffered martyrdom, and her entire
body rests there, and is greatly reverenced and most carefully
guarded, for because of her merits God daily works many
miracles throughout Sicily. Near this city of Catania
there stands by itself an exceeding lofty mountain, which
they who dwell there call Mount Bel^ — that is to say, the
Beautiful Mountain. This mountain never ceases to fiame
and smoke like a fiery furnace, and casts forth burned
stones of the size of a small house, which the people of
these parts call pumice-stone, wherewith parchment is
smoothed. This and other rubbish cast out by the moun-
tain has been collected and heaped together by the wind
till it has formed what may almost be called great and
long mountains. It was from this mountain that there
came forth the river of fire whereof we read in the Passion
of St. Agatha, where it is said, ' They set up an awning to
keep off the fire.' The course of this river may be clearly
seen at the present day ; howbeit the like river of fire has
often flowed out since the time of St. Agatha, and even
now sometimes flows out. Indeed, a great part of Sicily
is laid waste by these rivers of fire and the pumice-stone
cast forth from the mountain, for when the rivers cool they
harden, and cannot be broken up by irons or any tools
whatsoever. It is said that in that mountain is hell's
mouth, and no doubt there is something in this story, for
it has been proved and decided by many voices, miracles,
and examples, both at the present day and in the ancient
histories of the kingdom ; for whenever there are any great
battles anywhere, this same mount sends forth flames as
high as heaven itself, and thereupon they who dwell in
Sicily know that there are of a truth battles being fought
in some parts of the world. A Minorite friar who had
dwelt for a long time in Sicily told me that of his own
* Mongibello, JEtna, so called from the Arabic Ge3e/.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

knowledge, when the Emperor Henry^ of blessed memory
and the Pisans were fighting against King Robert in
Mount Cachym,^ in which war King Robert's brother was
slain, and lies buried in Pisa at this day beneath the
sepulchre of the aforesaid Emperor, that this mount
flamed so brightly that all through the night of the battle
the Dominican monks in Messina, which is twenty miles
distant from the mount, read their matins by the light of
the flames. He declared that the same thing had befallen
himself when there was a battle between the Florentines
and Perusians at Altpas (Alepas). This friar told me
many other wondrous stories of this mount, which would
take long to tell. For this cause there is a common pro-
verb in Sicily, ' I had rather be in Mount Bel with kings
and princes than in heaven with the halt and blind ;' and
the meaning is clear, for here the men are utterly vile, but
the women are most admirable. In Sicily they practise
three rites indifferently : in one part they follow the Latin
rite, in another that of the Greeks, and in another that of
the Saracens ; yet they are all Christians, albeit they differ
and disagree in their rites. It is a great wonder that
Sicily can be so fertile and charming a country when it so
often sufl'ers such terrible damage from this mountain ; for
sometimes it happens that this mountain casts forth so
much ashes in one or two days, that the flocks cannot for
a long time find any pasture. Moreover, sometimes so
many rivers of fire and flames and other dreadful things
come forth from the mountain, that they who dwell there

^ Henry VII. of Luxemburg died 1313. His monument stands at
the west end of the Campo Santo at Pisa. See John of Winterthur's
chronicle in Eccard's ' Corpus Historicum Medii Aevi,' vol. i., p. 1775.

2 There was a battle on Monte Catini on August 29, 131 5, where
Ugguccione dello Faggiuola, the Ghibelline Prince of Pisa and Lucca,
defeated the Florentines and the troops of Robert of Apulia. I con-
clude that this is what is meant.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEAPS

fast and make vows, expecting that they will be taken down
quick into helL These rivers come out of the mountain like
red-hot glowing brass, and (the fire) consumes everything
which it finds on its way, whether it be wood or stones,
even as hot water consumes snow, and lays waste the land
in some places for a distance of two miles, according as the
land is high or low, making it a desert and for ever un-
inhabitable, wherefore albeit Sicily is an exceeding good
land, yet it is a fearful thing to dwell therein.

XV.— The Mount Vulcan.

Likewise near Sicily there is another small island having
only one mountain in it, at the foot of which mount there
is a most beauteous and delightful orchard. This mount
is called Vulcan by the inhabitants, and it suddenly, like a
furnace, pours forth blazing flames in much more horrible
fashion than Mount Bel. This mount, we read, once stood
in Sicily, but by the merits of the Apostle St. Bartholomew
cast itself into the sea and removed itself from the land.
It flames most exceeding terribly and violently, and casts
forth pumice-stones of the size of small houses into the air
like a catapult, with such force that they burst in the air
like apples, and pieces fall into the sea for half a mile
round about, and are cast up on the beach by the waves
and gathered there. This is the pumice-stone which
scribes use to smooth parchment, which some declare to
be formed from the sea-foam, which is false, as you have
been told. Once before I went to Sicily a lake of fire burst
into the orchard at the foot of Mount Vulcan, and it was
a stone's -throw long and wide, and for four days and
nights flames went forth up to heaven from the length and
breadth of it in so terrible a fashion that all men thought
that of a truth heaven and earth were on fire, and that the
day had come when they should pass away. When the

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

flames ceased for four more days and nights so many
ashes came forth that in many places men deserted their
towns and cities and all that they had, and fled into the
mountains to shelter themselves from the ashes as best
they might, and all the flocks and very many people
perished in the plains by the ashes. Many cities, even,
could not be seen at all, they were so covered with ashes,
and many rivers were dried up by the ashes. There was
such sorrow and anguish through Sicily at that time as no
man could remember or ancient history tell of There-
upon the Sicilians vowed vows to God, proclaimed fasts,
gave themselves up to works of penitence, and prayed to
God that He would turn away His anger from them, and
for the sake of the merits of St. Agatha would set them
free from so great tribulation. Thereupon straightway the
trouble came to an end, and thereafter they felt nothing
of the sort. They then forbade upon the highest penalties
the doing of many wicked deeds which had heretofore been
permitted.

XVI. — The City of Syracuse.

There is also in Sicily another city, which is called Syra-
cuse, wherein St. Lucia suffered martyrdom, and wherein
her entire body now rests ; and there are numberless other
venerable relics of saints. It would be too long for me to
tell you of the other wonders of Sicily, and of the glories
and palaces of the Emperor Frederick, the catching of the
fish called tunny, and its other sources of wealth and
abundance.

Near Sicily there are many other islands, both great
and small, inhabited by Saracens. Near it there is also
another island called Malta, containing one bishopric,
which I have often visited in passing. Near it there is
another island named Colmat, whereon there are so many

LUDOLPH VON SUCH EM'S

rabbit-holes that the people have hardly land enough left
to live upon. Near it is another small island named
Scola ; no one visits these little islands except he be on
a special journey to them. Near these, too, is another
island called Goy (Gozo), which abounds in flocks and
dairy produce. Once I sailed between this and the other
island with great peril in a great ship during a most
violent storm, and no one remembered so great a ship to
have ever gone through that way.

XVII.— ACHAIA.

Proceeding from Sicily, one sails across the Venetian
Gulf, which divides Italy from Greece, and coasting round
the shores of Greece, one comes to Achaia and Macedonia
and other parts of Greece, which are called Romania.
You must know that the land which used to be called
Achaia is now called Morea. The Catalonians have reft
this land from the Greeks by force. Therein is a fair city
named Patras, wherein the Apostle St. Andrew suffered
martyrdom. Moreover, St. Antony and many other
saints once dwelt there or were born there. Not far from
Patras is Athens, wherein once flourished the schools of
the Greeks. This was once an exceeding noble city, but
now is almost deserted ; for there is scarce anywhere in
Genoa a marble column or piece of good hewn stone
which has not been brought thither from Athens, and the
whole city is built out of Athens, even as Venice is built
of the stones of Troy. In this same land of Achaia there
is the most beauteous and strong city of Corinth, standing
on the top of a mountain, the like of which city has scarce
ever been heard of for strength ; for were the whole world
to besiege it, it never would lack for corn, wine, oil, and
water. It was to this city that St. Paul wrote several
epistles. Not far from Corinth stands the city of

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

Galatas, to which also St. Paul wrote epistles. Ga/a in
Greek means the same as /ac (milk) in Latin ; for they
who dwell therein are whiter than the other people round
about, from the nature of the place, and this city, which
once was called Galatas, is now called Pera. Moreover,
in Achaia, or Morea, there dwell brethren of the house of
the Germans,^ who have there exceeding strong castles,
and are ever at variance with the Duke of Athens and
the Greeks. As one goes on from Achaia or Morea one
comes to sundry Greek isles in sailing along the shore of
Asia Minor, and one arrives at an island named Syo,-
which is a specially notable isle. Therein grows mastic,
and nowhere else in the world, for though trees thereof
grow well enough elsewhere, yet no fruit is found upon
them. Mastic grows like gum, dropping from the trees,
and from hence is sent all over the world. This island has
a Bishop, who in my time was of the Dominican Order.
This island was forcibly reft from the Emperor of Con-
stantinople by two Genoese brothers, and afterwards these
two brothers fell out, and one of them secretly gave back
his part to the Emperor, took his brother prisoner, and kept
him for a long time in prison, and the Emperor took the
island away from both of them ; but in my time he took
the captured brother into his favour, made him the com-
mander of his army, and gave him some castles. From
Syo one sails to the desert isle, of Patmos, whither St. John
the Evangelist was exiled by Domitian, and where he saw
the heavens open, and wrote the Book of Revelation.
From Patmos you can sail on to the coast of Asia Minor
and come to Ephesus, if you please. This land, which
once was called Asia Minor, is now called Turkey, for the
Turks have taken it from the Greeks. You must know

^ ? The Teutonic Order. Cf. Fabri, i. 185.
2 Chios.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

that the Turks are tall black men and most zealous
Saracens, yet not of the Saracen race, but rather renegade
Christians. They are in all respects like the Frisians, and
dwell by the northern {szc) sea-shore in exceeding strong
castles which they have taken from the Greeks, having no
arms but bows and arrows, living on milk and the like,
wandering hither and thither with their flocks, in all
respects mean, and with the same customs as Frisians.

XVIII. — The City of Ephesus.

You must know that the true city of Ephesus is four
short miles distant from the sea. In this city there is a
fair church built in the form of a cross,, roofed with lead,
nobly decorated with mosaic work and marble, and entire
to this day. It was here that the beloved disciple,
when bidden to a feast, entered a sepulchre, was over-
shadowed by darkness, and seen no more. This sepulchre
is near the high altar, and the place where it is hewn in a
rock is openly shown, if those who enter will first give a
penny to the Turks. In the church the Turks now sell
silk, wool, corn, and the like merchandise. The city of
Ephesus once stood in a strange fashion between two hills,
so that it had its outskirts upon mountains and its midst
in a valley. The church wherein is St. John's sepulchre
was a crossbow-shot distant from this city, and stood on
the top of a mountain. But as the ground near the church
was stronger, the city of Ephesus has been removed by the
Turks through fear of the Christians, and the old city is
now deserted. In my time there dwelt there a noble lady
whose husband owned the whole city. There was also
one Zalabin, a Turk, who took away the city from them,
and by whose consent the noble lady dwelt beneath the
castle of Ephesus. She had a license from him to sell

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

wine to merchants, and with many groans opened to us
the sorrows of her heart at the loss of her husband and her
city. Near the city of Ephesus there is a small round
fountain, which contains excellent fish in great numbers.
From this fountain water bursts forth in such quantity that
all the meadows and orchards and the whole land is
watered thereby. You must know that the city, which
once was called Ephesus, was afterwards called Theologos^
by the Greeks, and is now called Altelot, that is, High
Place {alttis locus)^ because, as I have already told you,
the city has been removed to a higher place round about
the church. About four miles from this ancient town of
Ephesus a new city has now been built, on the sea-shore at
a place where there is a harbour, and it is inhabited by
Christians who have been driven out of Lombardy through
a quarrel. These people have churches and Minorite
friars, and live like Christians, albeit they did in former
times together with the Turks do great injury to Christian
people. Near the new city of Ephesus there is a river as
large as the Rhine^ which runs down through Turkey from
Tartary. By this river much merchandise of divers sorts
is brought down, even as is done on the Rhine in these parts.
It is in this river that the Turks and Christians falsely so
called, when they have a mind to fight against the
Christians, are wont to collect their ships, arms, and pro-
visions, so that from this river much harm and damage has
come to the Christians.

^ ' The modern name of Ayasaluk is a corruption of Agios Tzeologos^
an epithet which the modern Greeks apply to St. John, the founder of
the Ephesian Church.' — Arrowsmith's 'Eton Geography.'

' Ephesus,' says Mrs. S. S. Lewis, ' is called Ayassoulouk, a
Turkish name derived, perhaps, from the Greek Agios Theologos,
but called by the mediaeval Italians Alto Luogo, the High Place.—
'A Lady's Impressions of Cyprus Remington, 1894.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

XIX. — The Different Isles of the Sea, and First
OF ALL, Rhodes.

From Ephesus one sails onward to many other different
isles. You must know that in that part of the sea there are
more than seven hundred isles, both great and small, in-
habited and desert, many of which have many special virtues,
and some of which abound with all manner of good things,
while some are full of poisonous springs and exceeding
venomous creatures. Among these isles there is one small
one, which has a fount of very hot water, boiling like a
pot, and so poisonous that a bird dies if it only flies over
it. Near this isle is another isle, scarce measuring two
miles in circuit, whereon stands a little church. On this
isle there are stags and other wild animals, so that the
isle has scarce room for them. Once my comrades landed
on this isle, and found in the church lances, shields, cross-
bows, very many arms, and great store of dried meat,
which was brought thither by pirates and sea-robbers as
they took it from time to time, and laid it up there. My
comrades waited there all day expecting the robbers to
come ; they also went hunting without catching any-
thing. But it chanced towards evening that one of them
was sitting between two rocks, and a stag happening to
come upon him, he cut off its right foot and wounded the
left with one blow of his sword ; so they got the stag,
and departed. Near this isle is another, wherein there are
are no animals save wild asses, which are exceeding good
sport to hunt, but have not good meat to eat like other
beasts of chase. Not far from this isle there is another
named Peyra, a very good one, wherein are found three
forms of the stone called alun, in exceeding great quan-
tity, so that it is exported from thence to all the world.
Not long ago the Genoese took this island from the Turks

by force, and have well restored it and its bishopric into its
original state. This island is near Turkey, and between
them there is a bridge, over which the Turks will not, if
they can help it, allow anyone to pass, whether there be
peace or war between them, so vexed are they at the loss
of the island. It is too long to tell you about the other
isles. Leaving all these, one sails back again to the shore
of Asia Minor or Turkey, and comes to Patara,^ which
once was a noble and most beauteous city, but now has
been destroyed by the Turks. In this city the pious Pope
St. Nicholas- was born. One sails on from Patara, and
comes to another once most noble city, but now destroyed,
named Mirrhea,^ wherein the glorious Pope Nicholas, who
has illustrated all that country by his many miracles and
virtues, was wondrously elected Bishop.'* From Mirrhea,
if you choose, you can sail on, and you will come to an
exceeding good and notable isle named Crete, which once
was a kingdom in itself, but which does not contain many
forts or cities. Its greatest city is named Candia. In the
greater part of this isle sage is burned for firewood. The
Venetians have taken this isle by force from the Greeks.
From Crete one sails to another most fair and notable
isle, which is healthy and pleasant. It was once called
Colos,^ and has a Metropolitan who is called Colossensis.
^ See Sir John Maundeville, chap, iv.

2 There have been five Popes of this name, but the Bishop of
Myrrha was not one of them.

3 Myra in Lycia.

4 ' Comme le dit Jacques de Varazze, les prelates du voisinage dtaient
venus pour donner un successeur a Teveque de Myre, et Tun d'eux
apprit du Ciel qu'il fallait sacrer le premier qui se presenterait le
matin a la porte de I'dglise. Ce fut Nicolas, qui venait faire sa priere
sans se doubter de rien.' — ' Caracteristiques des Saintes dans I'Art
Populaire,' par le Fere Ch. Cahier, S.J., Paris, 1867, art. 'Bourse.'

5 See Sir John Maundeville, chap, iv., and Wright's note ; also
Saewulf. St. Paul's Colossae was a city in the upper part of the basin
of the Maeander, on one of its affluents called the Lycus.

It was to this isle that St. Paul wrote his Epistles (to the
Colossians). Now the isle is called Rhodes, because of
the seventh climate of the world, wherein that isle stands
alone, and divides and marks the climate.^

It was from this isle that first came the destruction of
the noble city of Troy, for they say that there lived the
ram with the golden fleece, of whom one reads at greater
length in the histories of Troy. This isle of Rhodes is an
exceeding precious one, being mountainous, and standing
in a very healthy air, abounding in the wild animals called
fallow-deer. Furthermore, from whatever part of the sea
you sail you must pass by or near Rhodes. In this isle
there is a city named Rhodes, exceeding beauteous and
strong, with high walls and impregnable towers built of
such great stones that it is a wonder how human hands
can have laid them in their place. When Aeon was lost,
the Master and brethren of St. John of Jerusalem took this
isle by force^ from the Greeks. They besieged it for
years, but they never would have taken the city had they
not won over the inhabitants by bribes, so that they de-
livered up the isle of their own accord. Thereupon the
brethren of the Order made it their headquarters, and there
they dwell to this day. There are three hundred and fifty
brethren and the Master of the Order, who in my time was
Elyonus,^ a very old and very stingy man, who has amassed
countless treasure, and built much in Rhodes, and has set
the Order free from vast debts. This isle lies within the
sound of a man's voice from Turkey, from which it is
separated by an arm of the sea, and takes tribute from all
the country round about, and from Turkey a third part of

' See ' Clima' in Zedler's ' Universal Lexicon.' It seems to be almost
equivalent to 'degree of latitude '

2 The Grand Master Guillaume de Villaret, after useless negotia-
tions with the Emperor Andronicus II., stormed Rhodes 1310.

3 Helion de Villeneuve, Grand Master 1327-1346.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

the produce of the land. It has also a small and exceed-
ing strong castle in Turkey.^ These brethren have a truce
with the rest of the Turks on land, but not at sea, nor yet
in places where they are harming the Christians. These
same brethren of the Hospital hold also another island
hard by named Lango,^ abounding in corn, wine, oil, and
many fruits, and therein dwell fifty brethren from Rhodes.
The brethren have yet another small isle, a good and fertile
one, named Castelroys,^ which once was laid waste by the
Turks, but now is well inhabited by the brethren and their
mercenaries. In it there is an exceeding strong and lofty
castle, from which all ships sailing to whatsoever part of
the sea can be seen for a distance of almost fifty miles, and
then they make signals to the brethren in Rhodes and
Lango and to the other Christians round about, with
smoke by day and with flames by night, telling them how
many ships there are at sea, whereupon the brethren and
Christians make preparations for battle and defence
according to the number of ships signalled. This island

^ In 1344 the Knights took the fort and part of the town of Smyrna
from the Turks, and held their conquest for fifty-six years. Ludolph
wrote in 1350, and probably alludes to this.

2 Cos. See Wright's note to Sir John Maundeville, in Bohn's
' Early Travels in Palestine.'

3 This is the modern island of Kastelorizo, called by the Italians
Castel Rosso, the ancient Cisthene, or Megiste (Liv., xxxvii. 22, 24),
near Patara, at the south-west angle of Asia Minor. But an article on
the Knights of Malta in the Penny Magazine., vol. v., p. 246, says : ' On
the summit of a mountain in the island of Syme, Fulk de Villaret
had erected a lofty tower whence ships could be discovered at a great
distance. As soon as a strange sail was signalled, which was done by
lighting fires at night and making a dense smoke by day, the pinks
and light frigates of Syme, the row-boats and galleys of Rhodes, the
feluccas and light and swift vessels of others of the islands, got under
weigh,' etc. Syme is a small island between Rhodes and the pro-
montory of Budrun (Halicarnassus). Leake ('Tour in Asia Minor,'
1824) mentions Castelorizo. See his note on p. 184.

is exceeding useful to the Christians, for since the brethren
have held the island and castle, the Turks have done the
Christians no harm with their ships. Moreover, before the
time of the brethren the islands of Rhodes and Lango, and
all the isles and country of the Christians round about,
used to pay tribute to the Turks, but now by the grace of
God the brethren have turned this the other way. When
the Turks first heard that the isle of Rhodes had been
conquered by the brethren of St. John, they collected a
great army, and sent a solemn embassy asking at first in
bland and pacific terms for the tribute due to them from
the brethren, and declaring that they would willingly make
peace and a treaty with the brethren, but that in any case
they must have their tribute. At that time the Order had
no Master, for Brother Fulco de Villaret,^ the Master of the
Order, had been deposed by the brethren through a quarrel.
But a certain brother from Basle, a very brave and honest
knight, who was at that time Guardian of the Order, made
answer to the Turks begging for a space of three days for
consideration, and a truce for that time, which the Turks
most willingly granted, and charged their army to observe.
Meanwhile this same Guardian of the Order daily continued
to feast with the Turks, and cunningly found out all about
their army, its state and position, and what it intended to
do ; in the meanwhile he got together as many ships and
men as he could, and on the third day, pretending that he
was about to leave Rhodes to fight against the Greeks, he
asked the Turkish ambassadors to enter his chamber lest
any evil should befall themi at the hands of the Christians
until his return. The ambassadors did this, and that knight,
the Guardian of the Order, after having set guards over
them who were in his secret, embarked with his army and

^ Grand Master Fulke de Villaret was elected A.D. 1308, was
deposed 1321, and died 1327.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

put out to sea. At dawn on the morrow he fell upon the
host of the Turks, and slew them all without distinction,
men and women, young and old alike. For it is the habit
of the Turks and Tartars to take their wives, their little
ones, and all their property with them in their army
whithersoever they march. So after they had slain all the
people and won all their property and flocks, the brethren
returned to Rhodes on the third day with great joy. I
have heard from some who were present that they got so
much plunder that they towed their spoils behind the ships
by ropes in the sea. When all this had been arranged and
settled, the Guardian of the Order called forth the Turkish
ambassadors, and said to them that the brethren were
willing to make a truce and treaty with the Turks, and
straightway sent them away ; and they on the same day
landed with great joy at the place where they had left
their army. But they found all their army newly slain,
the bodies stripped and plundered, and all the property
carried off. When they beheld this, they went home as
sorrowful as they had been joyful, and brought the news
to the rest of the Turks. Thenceforth the Turks and
Tartars have never asked the brethren of St. John or the
Christians in Rhodes for tribute even to this day. At
Rhodes there are also many venerable relics, among which
is a brazen cross, which is believed to be made out of the
basin wherein Christ washed the disciples' feet. Wax
moulds of this cross have great power in quelling storms
at sea. This cross and some other venerable relics of the
brethren of St. John once belonged to the Templars, all of
whose goods and castles are now owned by the aforesaid
brethren. It would take too long to tell of the other
glories of Rhodes, and of all the several victories of the
aforesaid brethren. From Rhodes one sails to Cyprus.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

XX.— Cyprus.

Cyprus is an exceeding noble and famous, and also an
exceeding rich isle, beyond comparison with all the other
isles of the sea, and is fertile in all good things beyond
the rest. It was, we read, first inhabited by Noah's son
Japhet, and for its size it excels all the other lands and
seaside cities round about, being encircled as it were with
a girdle by the countries of Egypt, Syria, Armenia,
Turkey, and Greece. From Cyprus to all these is not
more than a day's journey by sea, as you shall hear here-
after. This glorious island once belonged to the Templars,
who sold it to the King of Jerusalem. Then, when Acre
and the Holy Land were lost and ruined, the King of
Jerusalem, and the princes, nobles and barons of the
kingdom of Jerusalem, removed to Cyprus and dwelt there,
and there they abide to this day, and thus Cyprus became
a kingdom. In Cyprus there are three bishoprics — to wit,
Paphos, Limasol, and Famagusta, and one Metropolitan,
the Bishop of Nicosia, who in my day was a Minorite
friar named Elias, who was made a cardinal by Pope
Clement VI.^ The oldest city in Cyprus is Paphos, once
a very noble and great place, but now it is almost ruined
by continual earthquakes. It stands on the seashore
directly over against Alexandria. Paul and Barnabas
converted^ this city to faith in Christ, and from thence the
whole earth hath been converted to the faith, as is set
forth in the Acts of the Apostles. Near Paphos once
stood Venus's-^ Castle, where they used to worship the idol
Venus, and travel from distant lands to visit her gates,
and thither all noble lords and ladies and young damsels

' Pope 1342-1353.

2 Acts XV. 39.

3 The ' Venusberg ' of the Tannhauser legend

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

gathered together in that castle. It was in this temple that
the first step was taken towards the ruin of Troy ; for Helen
was taken when on her way to this temple. Moreover, all
damsels and girls used to make vows in this temple for
marriage and husbands, wherefore in Cyprus men are
lustful by nature beyond those of all other lands, for if
earth from Cyprus, and more especially from the place
where Venus's Castle used to stand, be placed beneath a
man's head as he sleeps, it will throughout the whole night
dispose him to lust. Near Paphos is the place where
St. Hilary used to dwell, and where he wrought many
miracles, and there are many other places wherein many
other saints used to dwell, especially St. Zyzonimus and
St. Mamma, who was born in Germany, and it is to him
that the Greeks are commonly wont to pray most devoutly
for deliverance from carbuncles,

XXL— The Vineyard of Engaddi.

In this same diocese of Paphos is the vineyard of
Engaddi, the like of which is not in the world. This vine-
yard stands upon an exceeding lofty mountain,^ two miles
long. A tall cliff girds it on every side like a wall ; it has
one exceeding narrow entrance, and is quite flat on the
top throughout. In this vineyard grow many grapes and
vines of divers sorts, some of which yield grapes as big as
great pears, and some yield grapes as small as peas. Some
vines yield bunches of grapes as big as urns, and others

^ Probably the promontory which terminates in Cape Gatto, the
ancient Kyrias, near Limasol. This was the district which produced
the wine called ' Commanderia.' It was guarded by the castle of
Kolossin, the headquarters of the Hospitallers in Cyprus, wherein are
the arms of the Lusignans, quartering Jerusalem, Armenia, and Cyprus,
between three other coats, being those of Antoine Fluvian, Grand
Master of the Hospitallers 142 1-1437, of Jacques de Milli, Grand
Master 1454-1461, and another which has not been identified.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEAfS

exceeding small bunches, and some vines yield white
grapes, some black, and some red ; some vines yield grapes
without stones, and some oblong grapes, shaped like acorns,
and transparent ; and countless other sorts of vines and
grapes are to be seen in this vineyard. This vineyard
once belonged to the Templars, but now belongs to the
brethren of the Hospital of St. John at Rhodes. In the
time of the Templars there were always a hundred slaves —
that is, Saracen prisoners — there always, who had no duties
or work imposed upon them save dressing and tending the
vineyard. I have heard from many men of great experi-
ence that there is no more beauteous, noble, or wondrous
gem under the sun than this, which God hath made for
the use of man, like as we read of the same in Solomon's
Song : ' My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire^ in
the vineyards of Engaddi.'

Not far from Paphos is Limasol, once a fair city, but
now much damaged by earthquakes and sudden rushes of
water from the mountains. This city stands on the sea-
shore directly over against Tyre, Sidon, and Beyrout.
When Aeon was lost, the Templars and Hospitallers of
St. John and other nobles dwelt in this city, and many of
their palaces and castles may be seen at this day. Near
Limasol is another vineyard, called Little Engaddi, wherein
grow divers vines, which a man cannot span with his
arms, but they are not very tall, and do not yield much
fruit. In a place in this diocese called Pravimunt (Peni-
nunt) dwell brethren of the Teutonic Order, and also
Englishmen of the Order of St. Thomas of Canterbury.
There is also in this diocese an exceeding lofty mount,'^

^ 'Botrus Cypri dilectus meus in vinea Engaddi,' in the Vulgate
(Cant. i. 14, iv. 13), where the allusion is not to the island of Cyprus,
but to the plant cypress (KVTrpos).

2 S. Croce, the modern Stavrovuni, near Larnaca. See Fabri,
i. 193-200.

standin^^ by itself, much like Mount Tabor, on whose top
stands a fair monastery, wherein are brethren of the Order
of St. Benedict. In this monastery is the entire cross
whereon the thief on Christ's right hand hung, which was
brought thither by St. Helena, by whom also this monas-
tery was built and endowed. This cross is devoutly
greeted by all mariners at sea when they draw near to this
mount, and God works many miracles on the mount by
reason of the virtues of the said cross. Mount Lebanon
can always be clearly seen from this mount.

XXII.— The City of Famagusta.

The third city of Cyprus is called Famagusta. It stands
on the sea-shore, and there is now the harbour for the
whole sea and the whole kingdom, and thither merchants
and pilgrims must needs flock together. This city stands
directly over against Armenia, Turkey, and Acre. This is
the richest of all the cities in Cyprus, and its citizens are
exceeding wealthy. Once one of the citizens of Fama-
gusta was betrothing his daughter, and the French knights
who were sailing with us reckoned that the jewels she
wore on her head were better than all the jewels of the
King of France. There was a merchant of this city who
sold a royal golden orb^ to the Soldan for sixty thousand
florins. It contained only four precious stones — to wit,
a carbuncle, a pearl, a sapphire, and an emerald, and yet he
afterwards went and begged to be allowed to buy that orb
back again for a hundred thousand florins, but was re-
fused. Moreover, the Constable of Jerusalem had four
pearls which his wife wore as a brooch, which whenever
and wherever he pleased he could pawn for three thousand
florins. In a warehouse in this city there is more aloes-

^ See the chapter on Constantinople.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

wood than five carts can carry ; I say nothing about spices,
for they are as common there as bread is here, and are
just as commonly mixed and sold. Neither dare I say
any more about precious stones, cloth-of-gold, and other
kinds of wealth, because in those parts there is an unheard-
of and incredible store of them. In this city dwell number-
less exceeding rich courtesans, some of them possessing
more than a hundred thousand florins, about whose riches
I dare say no more.

XXIII. — Salamina and Nicosia.

Near Famagusta there is another city on the sea-shore
named Constantia or Salamina, which once was an exceed-
ing noble, famous, and beauteous city, as its ruins bear
witness. In this city a man of wondrous sanctity, St.
Epiphanius,^ was miraculously elected Bishop, and is
buried therein. In the same city was born St. Katharine
the Virgin, and a chapel stands on the place of her nativity
to this day. In this city St. Barnabas the Apostle suffered
martyrdom, and near it his body was burned and buried.
St. Epiphanius glorified this city and all the country round
about with many miracles ; but the city is now utterly
ruined. Also in Cyprus there is another exceeding great
city named Nicosia. This is the metropolis of Cyprus,
and stands in the midst thereof in a plain at the foot of the
mountains, and in an exceeding healthy air. The King of
Cyprus and all the bishops and other prelates of the
kingdom dwell in this city because of the healthiness of
the air, and also the greater part of all the other princes,
counts, barons, and knights live there, and every day they
amuse themselves with joustings, tournaments, and espe-
cially with hunting. In Cyprus there are wild rams,

^ Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis or Constantia, in Cyprus (May 12).
I can find nothing strange about his appointment in ' Acta Sanctorum.'

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND. 43

which are not found anywhere else in the world, and they
are taken with leopards ; they can be taken in no other
way. The princes, nobles, barons, knights, and citizens
of Cyprus are the richest in the world, for one who has a
revenue of three thousand florins is thought less of there
than a man who had a revenue of three marks would be in
these parts. But they spend it all in hunting. I knew a
count of Jaffa who kept more than five hundred hounds,
every pair of which dogs, according to the custom of those
parts, had a servant of their own, to keep them clean,
bathe them, and anoint them, which must needs be done
to hunting dogs in those parts. Also another noble keeps
at the least ten or twelve falconers, with special wages and
their expenses. I have known many nobles and knights
in Cyprus who could have kept and maintained two
hundred armed men for less than they paid for their
huntsmen and falconers ; for when they go forth to hunt
they dwell sometimes for a whole month in the woods and
mountains, wandering with their tents from place to place,
taking their pleasure with their hounds and falcons, sleeping
in the woods and fields in their tents, and carrying all that
they need and all their provisions with them on camels
and beasts of burden. You must know that all the princes,
nobles, barons, knights, and citizens in Cyprus are the best
and richest in the world, and now they dwell there with
their children, but once they used to dwell on the main-
land, in the cities of Syria and Judaea, and in the noble
city of Acre; howbeit now that the mainland and its cities
are lost they have fled to Cyprus, and abide there even to
this day. There are also in Cyprus exceeding rich citizens
and merchants, and no wonder, seeing that Cyprus is the
furthest (east) of all Christian lands, wherefore all ships
both great and small, and all merchandise of whatsoever
kind and from whatsoever country, must needs come first

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

of all to Cyprus, and can in no wise pass by it. Moreover,
all pilgrims from all parts of the world whatsoever, when
bound for the parts beyond the sea, must needs come to
Cyprus, and every day from sunrise to sunset one hears
rumours and news there. In Cyprus also all the languages
of the world are heard and spoken, and are taught in
special schools ; and in Cyprus excellent wine grows on
lofty mountains exposed to the rays of the sun. This
wine is at first red, but after standing in an earthenware
jar for four, six, ten, or twenty years, it becomes white, and
all the while that it stands it does not lose strength, but
daily gains it, insomuch that usually nine parts of water
are added to one of wine ; and if a man were to drink a
whole cask of that wine, it would not make him drunk, but
would burn up and destroy his inside. Yet it is exceeding
wholesome to take some of the wine unmixed upon an
empty stomach, and nowhere are there better wine-
drinkers or more of them than in Cyprus. In Cyprus all
trees and herbs grow as they grow in the Holy Land.
Also in my time there were in Cyprus many nobles,
barons, and knights who had left Germany — to wit, the
Count of Vianden, the Count of Schwartzenberg, the Lord
of Sleyde, the Prince of Lichtenstein, and many others.
Also all the seaside places^ in Turkey round about pay
tribute to the King of Cyprus — to wit, Candelor, Scalnun,
Sicki, and Satalia, and the other places and castles in their
neighbourhood. In this city of Satalia there are three

1 ' Es ist wahrscheinlich, das unter diesen namen die stadte
Kelenderis oder Kilindri, Selinus oder Selindri, Seleucia oder Selevke,
und Attalia, samtlich an der kiiste klein Asiens in der nahe von
Cyperu zu verstehen sind. Vergl Spriiner's Atlas der Mittel Alters.' —
F. Deycks. With the help of Spriiner's invaluable atlas I have identi-
fied Candelor with Alaya Candelorum, Scalnun (possibly) with Selinus
(Trajanopolis) the modern Silintz, Sicki with Sequin, Siquinum (Syce),
and Satalia, of course, with Attalia, the modern Adalia.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

heretical^ races of men, and the city is divided by walls
and fosses into three parts: in the first dwell the Greeks,
who keep holy the Lord's day ; in the second dwell the
Jews, who kept holy the Sabbath day ; and in the third
dwell the Turks, who keep Friday holy. In the Greek
quarter there is a figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary painted
upon a tablet, of which tablets there are three in the
world— to wit, one at Rome, one at Constantinople, and
the third at Satalia ; they are all of the same size, shape,
and appearance. It is believed that St. Luke painted
these three pictures from the Blessed Mary's own person,
and out of respect for this painting God works many
miracles there. It were too long to tell of the rest of the
riches and nobility of Cyprus.

XXIV.~The Cities by the Sea.

To return to my subject, one sails from Cyprus to some
one of the cities by the sea, in either Egypt or Syria.
These cities are as follows : Alexandria, Tripoli, Beyrout,
Byblium, Jaffa, Sidon, Tyre, Acre. Before going any
further I will say somewhat about these, that you may
know them. They all have been given different names to
those which they bore of old, after the Holy Land has
been lost and won so many times, and therefore I will say
a little about them, that you may know to whose lot these
cities fell when the Holy Land was won by the Christians.
You must know that none of these cities are more than a
day's journey distant from Cyprus. Now, Alexandria is
the first seaside city of Egypt, and one of the best of the
Soldan's cities. On one side it stands on the Nile, the
river of Paradise, which falls into the sea close by it, and its
other side is on the sea. This city is exceeding beauteous
and strong, and is fenced about with lofty towers and walls

I 'Perversa genera.' Compare Marco Polo, ed Panthier, p. 71.

LUDOLPH VON SUCH EM'S

which seem impregnable. It was once inhabited by the
Christians, and is now by the Saracens, and within it is
exceeding clean, being all whitewashed, and in the corner
of every street it has a fountain of water running through
pipes ; the city is carefully kept clean by watchmen, whose
duty it is to see that no dirt be cast into the streets or
fountains by anybody. In this city the Soldan keeps
mercenary soldiers and his bodyguard, who guard the city
and harbour. St. Mark the Evangelist was Patriarch in
this city, and was martyred there, and in succession to
him there still remains a Christian Patriarch there. In
this city there still stands entire to this day a great and
exceeding beauteous church, adorned in divers fashions
with mosaic work and marble, wherein at the request of
the Venetians Divine service is celebrated every day.
Indeed, many other churches are still standing in Alex-
andria at this day, and in them rest the bodies of many
saints. There are also many Christians and merchants
living there. This city appears to the human eye to be
impregnable, and yet it could be easily taken. I do not
care to say any more about this matter. This city, which
was of old called Alexandria, is now called Iscandria by
its inhabitants. Near Alexandria is a place where St.
Katharine was beheaded, and from whence she was borne by
angels to Mount Sinai, a distance of about eighteen days'
journey, and there are very many holy places and places
of prayer in that city. Not far from Alexandria there is
a village, all of whose inhabitants are Saracen work-
people, who weave mats wondrous well in divers fashions
and with most curious skill. In this place or village stands
a fair little church, wherein is a small grotto. In this
grotto it is believed that St. John the Baptist was be-
headed. The grotto is believed to have been a prison, and
is known because of the position of the place, which is on

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND. 47

the border of Egypt and Arabia. These same Saracen
workpeople guard the grotto with the uttermost care and
reverence, lighting it with lamps and candles, and each
one of them according to his means pays some especial
reverence to the church and grotto ; for they firmly believe
and say that it has been proved by experience that if they
did not hold the church in such great respect, and were to
leave it unlighted for one night, rats would come forth
from the ground and would pull to pieces and spoil all
their matwork ; and they say that the more respect a man
shows for the church and grotto aforesaid, the better he
succeeds in his work. This place where the church now
stands was of old called Metharonta in Arabic. The
nearest city to Egypt is called Tripolis. It stands by the
sea-shore at the foot of Mount Lebanon, and is a county
which when the Holy Land was recovered by the Christians
was given to the Count of Thoulouse. This land or county-
is fertile, and is famous for its grass, meadows, pastures,
herbs, trees, and fruit beyond all other lands round about,
and is exceeding beauteous ; wherefore beyond all other
lands it is called a second paradise,^ and has a loveliness
beyond human comprehension. This land or county of
gardens is traversed by a torrent which runs down from
the loftiest mountain-peak of Lebanon with a frightful
rush, so that its noise may be heard for more than a mile,
and he who stands near it is made deaf for more than
three days. Likewise there is a well of water which runs
through this land or county, and rises therein ; it is a
fountain ever welling forth from the flat ground, and never
falling off in quantity or form, and is in all respects like
the fountain in the city of Paderborn, which is called
Padere. By these two streams, the fountain, and the well,
the whole land is watered. These are the streams whereof
^ Compare Fetellus, p. 47.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

we read, ' A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters,
and streams from Lebanon ' (Cant. iv. 15). And you must
know that Mount Lebanon is exceeding long and in some
places exceeding high. To my mind it is in all respects
like the mount in these parts which is called Osning.^ It
extends from the beginning of the Promised Land as far
as Cilicia, and is a mount full of the most delightful trees,
fruits, and herbage that the heart of man can conceive.
The mount is also filled with countless towns and villages,
in all of which dwell Christians according to the Latin
rite, who daily long for the coming of the Christians (on a
Crusade), and many of whose bishops I have seen con-
secrated after the Latin rite. You must also know that
the land up to which this mount reaches, which once was
called Cilicia, is now called Lesser Armenia,^ for the
Armenians took that land from the Saracens by force, and
have fought and quarrelled with them for five hundred years
without interruption. In this land is the glorious city of
Tarsus, wherein St. Paul the Apostle was born. But to
return to my subject : there is another seaside city named
Baruth, which is fairly well peopled, and which on the
recovery of the Holy Land by the Christians fell to the
lot of the Lord of Starkenberg. This city is mentioned by
the Emperor (Justinian) in the Prologue^ to the Digests,
and formerly general studies greatly flourished here. In
this city there stands a fair church dedicated to St.
Nicholas, which is held in especial reverence by Christians.
St. George converted this island to the faith of Christ, and

1 The town of Paderborn, the source of the river Pader, and Mount
Osning, which is in the Teutoburger Wald, point to Ludolph's home.

2 See Anon,, p. 15, note.

3 The words are : ' Haec autem tria volumina a nobis composita
tradi iis tarn in regiis urbibus quam in Beryttensium pulcherrima
civitate, quam et legum nutricem quis appellet, tanturnmodo volumus.
—Dig., Proem., i 7 ; cf. 9 and 10.

slew the dragon hard by it/ rescued the daughter of the
King of the city from the dragon, and glorified the land
with many miracles. The dragon's well may still be
plainly seen. All pilgrims bound for Jerusalem meet
together at this city and pass through it. Not far from
this city there is another strong and well-fenced city named
Byblium, which on the recovery of the Holy Land fell to
the lot of the Knights of the Temple. One reads of this
city in the Book of Kings- : Porro Byblii portabant ligna.
This city, which was then called Byblium, is now called
Ghiblet. Not far from this city there stands another city
by the sea-shore named Japhe (Jaffa), which is still fairly
well peopled. Once the common pilgrim-way passed
through this city, but shortly before my time the Soldan
laid waste the port out of fear of the King of France.
This city has two other fair cities near it — to wit, Ramatha,
wherein the prophet Samuel was born, and Ascalon.
Jaffa is three days' journey from Jerusalem, or there-
abouts, and is a county. The Count of Jaffa^ is also
Marshal of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Lord of
Ramatha and Ascalon, and so signs himself. In my time
the Count of Japhe and Henry, Duke of Brunswick married
two sisters. Not far from Jaffa is another exceeding
beauteous seaside city, well fenced about with fine towers
and walls, but utterly deserted. It is called Sidon, and

^ Fabri, ii. 203.

2 I Kings V. 18. ' Porro Giblii praeparaverunt ligna et lapides.' ' And
Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stone-
squarers ; so they prepared timber and stones to build the house ' (A.V.).
See S.P.C.K. Bible, where we are told in a note that ' stone squarers '
should read ' Giblites.' Cf. Poloner, p. 33, note.

3 This must have been Hugh d'Ibelin, Count of Joppa and Ascalon,
Seigneur of Rama, and Seneschal of Jerusalem in 1338, who married
Isabelle d'Ibelin, widow of Ferdinand of Majorca. See ' Les Comtes
de Jaffa et d'Ascalon ' in ' Les Families d'Outremer,' by M. Rey, Paris,
1869.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

on the recovery of the Holy Land fell to the lot of a
knight called De Neapoli.^ This city, which once was
called Sidon, is now called Sagette. Near this city is
another exceeding fair city, well fenced with fine towers
and walls, and standing strangely by itself on an isle in
the sea. It is named Tyre, but now it is almost deserted.
When the Holy Land was recovered, it fell to the lot of
Baldwin, Godfrey of Bouillon's brother. This city, which
once was called Tyre, is now called Sur. Between Tyre
and Sidon there stands a fair church at the place where
the Canaanitish woman called upon the Lord, as the
Gospel witnesseth, saying, ' Jesus departed thence into
the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and behold, a Canaanitish
woman,' etc.^

XXV.— The Glorious City of Acre.

Near Tyre, at a distance of one day's journey along the
sea-shore, stands the glorious city of Acre, once the
thoroughfare of pilgrims and all other travellers, three
short days' journey from Jerusalem. Before going on to
anything else. I must say somewhat about this city of
Acre ; yet when I think of its present state I had liefer
weep than say anything. Whose heart is so hard that the
ruin and destruction of so great and noble a city would
not melt it This glorious city of Acre stands, as I have
said, on the sea-shore, built of squared hewn stones of more
than wonted size, with lofty and exceeding strong towers,
not a stone's-throw distant from one another all round the
walls. Each gate of the city stood between two towers,
and the walls were so great that two cars driving along
the top of them could easily pass one another, even as

' 'Eustach Grenier erhielt, a.d. iiii, Sidon zu Lehen.' — Wilken,
' Geschichten der Kreuzzuge.'
Mau. XV, 21,

they are at the present day. On the other side also,
toward the land, the city was fenced with notable walls
and exceeding deep ditches, and variously equipped with
divers outworks and defences, and conveniences for watch-
men. The streets within the city were exceeding neat, all
the walls of the houses being of the same height and all
alike built of hewn stone, wondrously adorned with glass
windows and paintings, while all the palaces and houses in
the city were not built merely to meet the needs of those
who dwelt therein, but to minister to human luxury and
pleasure, each one as far as possible excelling the others in
its glazing, painting, pavilions, and the other ornaments
with which it was furnished within and beautified without.^
The streets of the city were covered with silken cloths, or
other fair awnings, to keep off the sun's rays. At every
street corner there stood an exceeding strong tower, fenced
with an iron door and iron chains. All the nobles dwelt
in very strong castles and palaces along the outer edge of
the city. In the midst of the city dwelt the mechanic
citizens and merchants, each in his own especial street
according to his trade, and all the dwellers in the city, like
the Normans of old, held themselves to be noble, and bore
themselves like nobles, as of a truth they were.- First

^ This entire account of Ptolemais before its capture is repeated
word for word in the Latin chronicle of the Dominican monk, Hermann
Cornerus, of Lubeck, written A.D. 1435. See Eccard's ' Corpus
Historiarum Medii Aevi,' vol. ii., p. 941. — F. Deycks.

2 Compare the following extract from Villani's ' History of Florence,'
book vii., chap, cxliv. Muratori> ' Scriptores Rerum Italicarum,'
tom. xiii., pp. 337, 338. ' Egli e vera cosa, che perche i Sarracini
haveano ne tempi dinanzi tolte a' Christiani la Citta di Antiochia, et
quella di Tripoli, e quella di Suri, & piu altre Citta, che i Christiani
teneano alia marina, la Citta d' Acri era molto cresciuta di gente, & di
podere, pero che altra terra non si tenea per li Christiani in Soria, si
che per lo Re di Gieiusalem, & per quello di Cipri, e'l Prenze d'
Antiochia, & quello di Suri, & di Tripoli, & la Magione del Tempio,

there dwelt therein the King of Jerusalem and his brethren,

and very many nobles of the family ; the princes of Galilee,
the princes of Antioch and the chief captain of the King
of France, the Duke of Caesarea, the Lord of Sur^ and
the Lord of Tiberias, the Lord of Sagette,^ the Count of
Tripoli, the Count of Jaffa, the Lord of Beyrout, the Lord of
Ibelin,^ the Lord of Pysan,"* the Lord of Arsuf,^ the Lord
of Vaus,^ and the nobles of Blanchegarde. All these princes,
dukes, counts, nobles, and barons walked about the streets
in royal state, with golden coronets on their heads, each
of them like a king, with his knights, his followers, his
mercenaries, and his retainers, his clothing and his war-
horse wondrously bedecked with gold and silver, all vying
one with another in beauty and novelty of device, and each
man apparelling himself with the most thoughtful care.
Every day they practised themselves in joustings, games,
tournaments, and every sort of military display and each
one had his own liberty or privileged piece of ground^

& dello Spedale, & 1' altre Magioni & Legato del Papo, & quelli, ch'
erano oltra mare per lo Re di Francia, & per lo Re d' Inghilterra, tutti
faceano capo in Acri, & haveano 17 sigriorie di sangue, la quale era
una grande confusione.' Villani died 1348.
^ Tyre.

2 So spelt in Dr. F. Deycks's text. The place which the Crusaders
called Sagitta, or Sajette, is the ancient Sidon, now Sayda.

3 'The fortress of Ibelin, about ten miles from Ascalon, was built on
the traditional site of Gath in 1144.' See 'The City of Herod and
Saladin,' p. 296.

4 Al. Poysan. Probably Bethshan. See ' Names and Places in the
Old and New Testament,' by G. Armstrong. A. Watt, London, 1889.

5 Antipatris, between Jaffa and Caesarea. Cf. ' The Condition of
City of Jerusalem,' p. 32, notes 2, 4. See also C R. Conder in the
' Survey of Western Palestine,' vol. v., p. 252. The Crusaders mis-
takenly identified it with Ashdod. Spriiner, ' Atlas der Mittelaelters,'
has Arsuf, Arsur, Assur, Antipatrida.

^ See preface.
7 Deduciio.
Compare Fabri, vol. ii., p. 376.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND. 53

beside his own palace or castle. Therein also dwelt, to
fight against the Saracens for the Catholic faith, the Master
and brethren of the Knights Templars, armed knights ;
the Master and brethren of the Order of St. John of
Jerusalem, armed knights ; and the Master and brethren of
the house of the Teutonic Order, armed knights ; likewise
the Master and brethren of the Order of St. Thomas^ of
Canterbury, armed knights ; and the Master and brethren
of the Order of St. Lazarus, armed knights. All these
dwelt in Acre, and had the headquarters of their Order
there, and they and their fellows fought day and night
against the Saracens. There also dwelt in Acre the
richest merchants under heaven, who were gathered to-
gether therein out of all nations ; there were Pisans,
Genoese, and Lombards, by whose accursed quarrels the
city was lost, for they also bore themselves like nobles.
There dwelt therein also exceeding rich merchants of
other nations, for from sunrise to sunset all parts of the
world brought merchandise thither, and everything that
can be found in the world that is wondrous or strange
used to be brought thither because of the nobles and
princes who dwelt there. It would take long to tell of the
other glories, wonders, and beauties of Acre one by one,

^ 'Another iittle-known Order merits notice. An English priest,
William, chaplain to Ralph de Uiceto, devoted himself to burying the
Christian dead at Acre. Afterwards he built a chapel and bought
ground for a cemetery, which he dedicated to St. Thomas the Martyr.
Through the patronage of Becket's sister, a hospital of St. Thomas the
Martyr of Canterbury at Acre was built in London on the site of the
Archbishop's house ; and in 1231, when Peter des Roches was in
Palestine, he established these knights under the rule of the Templars.
These knights of St. Thomas of Acre wore their own mantle with a
cross of red and white, and have the distinction of being one of the few
peculiarly English Orders. They survived in the kingdom of Cyprus
till near the close of the fourteenth century.' ' The Crusades ' Story
of the Nations,' T. F. Unwin, 1894. See also Stubbs's 'Lectures on
Mediaeval History,' pp. 182-185.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

neither could any man tell fully of them all. This is that
renowned city of Acre, which once was called Ptolemais,
wherein Judas (?) Maccabeus was treacherously slain by
Tryphon, as is told in the Book of Maccabees. Likewise,
this is that city of Acre^ wherein was the idol Beelzebub,
what time Ahaziah, King of Israel, fell down through a
lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and said
unto his servants, ' Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of
Ekron, whether I shall recover of this disease,' as is told at
length in the Book of Kings.^

XXVI. — The Loss of the City of Acre.

After having told of the glories and beauties of Acre, J
will now shortly tell you of its fall and ruin, and the cause
of its loss, even as I heard the tale told by right truthful
men, who well remembered it. While, then, the grand
doings of which I have spoken were going on in Acre,
at the instigation of the devil there arose a violent and
hateful quarrel in Lombardy between the Guelfs and the
Ghibellines, which brought all evil upon the Christians.
Those Lombards who dwelt in Acre took sides in this same
quarrel, especially the Pisans and Genoese, both of whom
had an exceeding strong party in Acre. These men made
treaties and truces with the Saracens, to the end that they
might the better fight against one another within the city.
When Pope Urban'^ heard of this, he grieved for Christen-
dom and for the Holy Land, and sent twelve thousand
mercenary troops across the sea to help the Holy Land

' Like inost mediaeval writers, Ludolph confuses Acre (Aeon) with
Accaron (O.T., Ekron). See Anon. II., chap. !., note.

2 2 Kings i. 2.

3 Urban IV. reigned 1261-1264 ; it cannot therefore be he, but
Jerome d'Ascoli, Nicholas IV., 1288-1292, who is meant.

and Christendom. When these men came across the sea
to Acre they did no good, but abode by day and by night
in taverns and places of ill-repute, took and plundered
merchants and pilgrims in the public streets, broke the
treaty, and did much evil. Melot Sapheraph, Soldan of
Babylon,^ an exceeding wise man, most potent in arms
and bold in action, when he heard of this, and knew of the
hateful quarrels of the people of Acre, called together his
counsellors and held a parliament in Babylon, wherein he
complained that the truces had frequently been broken
and violated, to the prejudice of himself and his people.
After a debate had been held upon this matter, he gathered
together a mighty host, and reached the city of Acre with-
out any resistance, because of their quarrels with one
another, cutting down and wasting all the vineyards and
fruit-trees and all the gardens and orchards, which are
most lovely thereabout. When the Master of the Templars,
a very wise and brave knight, saw this, he feared that the
fall of the city was at hand, because of the quarrels of the
citizens. He took counsel with his brethren about how
peace could be restored, and then went out to meet the
Soldan, who was his own very especial friend, to ask him
whether they could by any means repair the broken truce.
He obtained these terms from the Soldan, to wit, that
because of his love for the Soldan and the honour in which
the Soldan held him, the broken truce might be restored
by every man in Acre paying one Venetian penny. So
the Master of the Templars was glad, and, departing from
the Soldan, called together all the people and preached a
sermon to them in the Church of St. Cross, setting forth
how, by his prayers, he had prevailed upon the Soldan to
grant that the broken treaty might be restored by a pay-
ment of one Venetian penny by each man, that therewith

' Gino.

LUDOLPH VON SUCH EM'S

everything might be settled and quieted. He advised
them by all means so to do, declaring that the quarrels of
the citizens might bring a worse evil upon the city than
this — as indeed they did. But when the people heard this,
they cried out with one voice that he was the betrayer of
the city, and was guilty of death. The Master, when he
heard this, left the church, hardly escaped alive from the
hands of the people, and took back their answer to the
Soldan. When the Soldan heard this, knowing that, owing
to the quarrels of the people, none of them would make
any resistance, he pitched his tents, set up sixty machines,
dug many mines beneath the city walls, and for forty days
and nights, without any respite, assailed the city with fire,
stones, and arrows, so that (the air) seemed to be stiff with
arrows. I have heard a very honourable knight say that a
lance which he was about to hurl from a tower among the
Saracens was all notched with arrows before it left his
hand. There were at that time in the Soldan's army six
hundred thousand^ armed men, divided into three com-
panies ; so one hundred thousand continually besieged the
city, and when they were weary another hundred thousand
took their place before the same, two hundred thousand
stood before the gates of the city ready for battle, and the
duty of the remaining two hundred thousand was to supply
them with everything that they needed. The gates were
never closed, nor was there an hour of the day without
some hard fight being fought against the Saracens by the
Templars or other brethren dwelling therein. But the
numbers of the Saracens grew so fast that after one
hundred thousand of them had been slain two hundred

^ With regard to these outrageous figures, and the mythical com-
plexion of the whole story, compare Wilken's ' Geschichte der
Kreuzzuge,' vii. 757, and Dr. F. Deycks's work, ' Uber altere Pilger-
fahrten,' p. 49.

thousand came back. Yet, even against all this host, they
would not have lost the city had they but helped one
another faithfully ; but when they were fighting without
the city, one party would run away and leave the other to
be slain, while within the city one party would not defend
the castle or palace belonging to the other/ but pur-
posely let the other party's castles, palaces, and strong
places be stormed and taken by the enemy, and each one
knew and believed his own castle and place to be so strong
that he cared not for any other's castle or strong place.
During this confusion the Masters and brethren of the
Orders alone defended themselves, and fought unceasingly
against the Saracens, until they were nearly all slain ;
indeed, the Master and brethren of the house of the
Teutonic Order, together with their followers and friends,
all fell dead at one and the same time. As this went on
with many battles and many thousands slain on either
side, at last the fulfilment of their sins and the time of the
fall of the city drew near; when the fortieth day of its siege
was come, in the year of our Lord one thousand two
hundred and ninety-two, on the twelfth day of the month
of May, the most noble and glorious city of Acre, the
flower, chief and pride of all the cities of the East, was taken.
The people of the other cities, to wit, Jaffa, Tyre, Sidon
and Ascalon, when they heard this, left all their property
behind and fled to Cyprus. When first the Saracens took
Acre they got in through a breach in the wall near the King
of Jerusalem's castle, and when they were among the
people of the city within, one party still would not help the
other, but each defended his own castle and palace, and
the Saracens had a much longer siege, and fought at much
less advantage when they were within the city than when
they were without, for it was wondrously fortified. Indeed,
^ Altius = altenus.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHENVS

we read in the stories of the loss of Acre that because of
the sins of the people thereof the four elements^ fought on
the side of the Saracens. First the air became so thick,
dark, and cloudy that, while one castle, palace, or strong
place was being stormed or burned, men could hardly see
in the other castles and palaces, until their castles and
palaces were attacked, and then for the first time they
would have willingly defended themselves, could they have
come together. Fire fought against the city, for it con-
sumed it. Earth fought against the city, for it drank up
its blood. Water also fought against the city, for it
being the month of May, wherein the sea is wont to be
very calm, when the people of Acre plainly saw that
because of their sins and the darkening of the air they
could not see their enemies, they fled to the sea, desiring
to sail to Cyprus, and whereas at first there was no wind at
all at sea, of a sudden so great a storm arose that no other
ship, either great or small, could come near the shore, and
many who essayed to swim off to the ships were drowned.
Hovvbeit, more than one hundred thousand men escaped
to Cyprus. I have heard from a most honourable lord,
and from other truthful men who were present, that more
than five hundred most noble ladies and maidens, the
daughters of kings and princes, came down to the sea-
shore, when the city was about to fall, carrying with them
all their jewels and ornaments of gold and precious stones,
of priceless value, in their bosoms, and cried aloud, asking
whether there were any sailor there who would take all
their jewels, and take whichever of them he chose to wife,
if only he would take them, even naked, to some safe land
or island. A sailor received them all into his ship, took
them across to Cyprus, with all their goods, for nothing,
and went his way. But who he was, whence he came, or
^ Marino Sanuto book iii., part xii., chap, xxi., ad finem.

whither he went, no man knows to this day.^ Very many
other noble ladies and damsels were drowned or slain. It
would take long to tell what great grief and anguish was
there. While the Saracens were within the city, but before
they had taken it, fighting from castle to castle, from one
palace and strong place to another, so many men perished on
either side that they walked over their corpses as it were
over a bridge. When all the inner city was lost, all who still
remained alive fled into the exceeding strong castle of the
Templars, which was straightway invested on all sides by
the Saracens ; yet the Christians bravely defended it for
two months, and before it almost all the nobles and chiefs
of the Soldan's army fell dead. For when the city inside
the walls was burned, yet the towers of the city, and the
Templars' castle, which was in the city, remained, and
with these the people of the city kept the Saracens within
the city from getting out, as before they had hindered their
coming in, until of all the Saracens who had entered the
city not one remained alive, but all fell by fire or by the
sword. When the Saracen nobles saw the others lying
dead, and themselves unable to escape from the city, they
fled for refuge into the mines which they had dug under
the great tower, that they might make their way through
the wall and so get out. But the Templars and others
who were in the castle, seeing that they could not hurt the
Saracens with stones and the like, because of the mines
wherein they were, undermined the great tower of the
castle, and flung it down upon the mines and the Saracens
therein, and all perished alike. When the other Saracens
without the city saw that they had thus, as it were, failed
utterly, they treacherously made a truce with the Templars

I This story is repeated by Lampadius in his ' Mellificium His-
toricum,' A.D. 1617, part iii., p. 312. Cf. Fuller's 'Holy Warre,'
book iv., chap, xxxiii.

6o LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

and Christians on the condition that they should yield up
the castle, taking all their goods with them, and should
destroy it, but should rebuild the city on certain terms, and
dwell therein in peace as heretofore. The Templars and
Christians, believing this, gave up the castle and marched
out of it, and came down from the city towers. When the
Saracens had by this means got possession both of the
castle and of the city towers, they slew all the Christians
alike, and led away the captives to Babylon. Thus Acre
has remained empty and deserted even to this day. In
Acre and the other places nearly a hundred and six thou-
sand men were slain or taken, and more than two hundred
thousand escaped from thence. Of the Saracens more
than three hundred thousand were slain, as is well known
even to this day. The Saracens spent forty days over the
siege of the city, fifty days within the city before it was
taken, and two months over the siege of the Templars'
castle. When the glorious city of Acre thus fell, all the
Eastern people sung of its fall in hymns of lamentation,
such as they are wont to sing over the tombs of their dead,
bewailing the beauty, the grandeur, and the glory of Acre
even to this day. Since that day all Christian women,
whether gentle or simple, who dwell along the eastern shore
(of the Mediterranean) dress in black garments of mourning
and woe for the lost grandeur of Acre, even to this day.

After this the Saracens worked for many years en-
deavouring to utterly subvert and destroy down to their
foundations all the walls, towers, castles, and palaces, lest
the Christians should rebuild them ; yet in hardly any
place have they been able to beat them down to the height
of a man, but all the churches, walls, and towers, and very
many castles and palaces, remain almost entire, and, if it
pleased God, could with great care be restored throughout
to their former state. At this day about sixty Saracen

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

mercenaries dwell in Acre as a garrison for the city and
port, and make a living out of silk and birds, for there are
so many partridges and pigeons to be found in Acre, that
all the birds to be seen in this country are not to be
compared to them. These mercenaries have an especial
delight in Germans, whom they straightway recognise by
their appearance and walk, and drink wine deeply with
them, albeit it is forbidden by their law. Thus have I
told how the glorious city of Acre was lost by quarrels,
and from that time forth all the glory of the Holy Land,
of its kings, princes, and other lords, has been carried over
into Cyprus, as you have already heard.

XXVII.— Of Gaza and Azotus.
But to return to my subject : from Acre one goes on to
Gaza, once an exceeding fine city of the Philistines, now
almost a desert, whose iron gates Samson broke and took
away with him into a mountain. The distance from Acre
to Gaza is twenty-three miles, and on the way one sees
the following places. But before going further, I propose
to tell you somewhat about the cities of the Philistines.
Round about this city of Gaza lies the land of Palestine,
wherein we see that four exceeding great cities once stood,
which now have been brought down to small villages, all
save two — to wit, Azotus (Ashdod) and Gath. You must
know that the land which once was called Philistia is now
called Palestine, and that the city which once was called
Azotus is now called Arsuf,^ whose noble lord I have often
seen. And the city which once was called Gath- is now

^ Arsuf= Antipatris. Balian d'Ibelin was Seigneur d'Arsuf in 1368.

2 ' Scandalium, south-west from Tyre, built by Alexander the Great, is
not the same as Gath,' says F. Deycks, who identifies the Scandalium of
the Crusaders with Alexandroscene, the place where Alexander's tent
was pitched during the siege of Tyre. See Theoderich, chap, li., and
Tobler's note thereto.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

called Scandalium, a name which Baldwin, King of
Jerusalem, gave it when he was building it. It was in
this city that Goliath was born, whom David slew, and
many other wonders may be read of about this city. From
this city onwards all the cities and villages, castles and
places, on the sea-shore aforesaid, and for a space of four
miles inland, have been laid waste and remain so to this
day. For as soon as the Holy Land, Syria, and Acre
were lost, the Saracens thought that they should possess in
peace all the aforesaid places, cities, villages, and castles
on the sea-shore. But at that time the people of Gath, or
Scandalium, were exceeding strong men, and very valiant
in arms ; indeed, it is said that the place is of such a
nature that men born there are fiercer than other men.
These same people of Gath, albeit few in number, being
less than one thousand, are noble and valiant, and know
all the roads and by-ways of the land ; for they are wont
to wander hither and thither with arms in their hands,
serving for hire, and they know the manners and customs
of the Saracens, and the going in and the coming out of
the land, and they never rested, but went to and fro con-
tinually, by land and by water, by night and by day,
dressed in Saracen clothing, with arms concealed beneath
it. While they were among the Saracens, they went as
Saracen merchants,^ and entered with them into their
cities and villages, ate and drank with them, and by
degrees gathered together ; and whenever they thought
that they had a good opportunity, they took and burned
the town or village in which they happened to be, and
slew the Saracens or sold them for slaves. When the
Saracens saw that they could not guard themselves against

I I hardly know whether this is to be taken as serious history. A
story of the same sort is told by William of Tyre about the rescue of
Baldwin II, from Khortbert.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

these men, they deserted their cities and villages and went
away, yet seldom escaped, and thus all the places along
the sea-shore, the cities and villages and other places as far
as four miles inland, were made utterly desolate even to this
day. I have heard from truthful men who were present
when these things came to pass, and the public talk and
rumour of them still remains there, that so great fear fell
upon the Saracens because of these aforesaid men of Gath,
that as far as six days' journey therefrom mothers used
to quiet their crying children with this word Scandalium.
Moreover, no man dared meet another on the road, for
because of the people of Scandalium no precaution would
make a man fully safe. But to return to my subject : near
Acre there is a river of no great size named Belen.^ This
river rolls down a sort of glassy sand, which is carried
away to distant lands. There is likewise another river
near Acre, on one side of which no serpent or venomous
thing can live, though they can do so well on the other
side ; and it has been proved that serpents cast across this
river die straightway.

XXVIII.— Of Mount Carmel.

Also near Acre, on the right hand, three miles away, not
far from the sea, stands Mount Carmel, which is smooth,
and wide, and most beauteous at the top, adorned with
much grass and pleasant places. On this mount dwelt
Elijah the prophet, and wrought many miracles. On this
mount also, at Elijah's word, the captains of fifty of
Ahaziah, King of Israel, were consumed by fire from
heaven. On this mount also Elijah prayed that it might
not rain upon the earth, and it did not rain for three years

^ ' This is the Belus whose glass manufactures are mentioned by
Pliny and Tacitus.'— Dr. F. Deycks.

LUDOLPH VON SU CHEAPS

and six months, as we read in the Book of Kings. On
this mount it may be seen that there once stood an
exceeding fine convent built in honour of St. Mary, and
the friars who derive their origin from thence are called
Carmelites to this day. They are begging friars, and one
may see that they once had fifteen fair convents in the
Holy Land. On one side of the mount there is a clear
fountain running into the sea, from which Elijah the
prophet used to drink, and it is called Elijah's Fountain to
this day. At another place at the foot of the mount one
may see where there stood a city of the Templars, now
utterly destroyed, called Cyphas.^ Not very far from this
city there is a small fountain, which is one of the sources
of the Jordan. At the end of Mount Carmel there was
once a fair city, now destroyed, named Jezreel, where
Jezebel took away Naboth's vineyard, and was cast down
at the same place, as we read in the Book of Kings.^
Near this city are the plains of Megiddo, wherein Josiah,
King of Judah, was slain. Not far from Mount Carmel,
on the left-hand side, there once stood a fair city, now
destroyed, named Sepphora, which stood on a hill, and
wherein St. Anne, the Blessed Mary's mother, was born.

After passing over Mount Carmel one crosses a river,
which is one of the sources of the Jordan, and comes to
Caesarea of Palestine, which once was called Dor, and now
is called Caesarea of Palestine, but is utterly destroyed.
In this city there was a fair church made out of the house
of Cornelius,'^ whom Peter converted to the true faith.
This same city, on the recovery of the Holy Land, came
into the possession of a certain knight of these parts,

^ Haifa.

^ I Kings xxi.

3 Compare the Bordeaux Pilgrim, p. 17 : ' Onaliter Sita est Urbs
Sancta Jerusalem,' 32.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAXD.

named De Horne, whose son-in-law's widow was living
even in my own time, for I have often seen her and talked
upon this subject with her. Going on from Caesarea, one
comes to what once was a fair city, but now is deserted,
called Pilgrim's Castle, which of old was called Assur.^
This city was given to the Templars by Godfrey de
Bouillon, the first Christian King of Jerusalem, for a
memorial of himself. Going on from Assur, or Pilgrims'
Castle, one comes to a very fair city, tolerably full of
people even at this day, called Ascalon. Going on from
Ascalon, one comes to Joppa, an exceeding ancient and
beauteous city standing on the sea-shore. It was the port
of this city that the prophet Jonah entered when he essayed
to flee from before the face of the Lord. It is about two
days' journey distant from Jerusalem, but pilgrims are not
able to land at the port. Inland, not far from Joppa, there
stands a fair city, once called Ruma,- but now called Bael,
situated in a most beauteous, pleasant, and delectable
place, and inhabited by Christians alone. It is believed
that no Jew or Saracen could live or dwell therein for
more than a year. All the wine drunk by the Christians
in Jerusalem and the other places is brought from hence.
On the left hand side of this Ruma, or Bael, there stands a
fair city, still well peopled, called Diospolis, or by another
name, Lydda. In this city the glorious martyr St. George
suffered martyrdom, and was beheaded. There is an ex-
ceeding fair church, well adorned with mosaic work and
marble, wherein, in the choir, the place of his beheading is
publicly shown. After seeing all these things one comes
first to Gaza, whereof I said somewhat already, because I told

^ Castrum Peregrinorum, also called Petra Incisa. See ' Guide-
book,' p. 34. Assur is not Castrum Peregrinorum, but Athlit. which
was fortified by the Templars, and lost by them after the fall of Acre
in 1291. See also ' La Citez de Jherusalem,' p. 31, note, and preface.

2 * Ruina ' in two MSS. ; Ramla, the N.T. Arimathaea.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

you of the other cities of the Philistines. It is four days'
journey from Acre to Gaza, visiting all the places afore-
said. Going on from Gaza, one comes to a castle called
Dar in Arabic, which is the last place in Syria as you go
down into Egypt. Going this way, one leaves Jerusalem
on the left hand, twenty miles off, or thereabouts. These
are not the common pilgrim ways, but are good ones for
seeing first Arabia and Egypt, and all that therein is.
From the castle of Dar one goes to Egypt across the
sandy desert in seven days. In this desert there is no lack
of anything needful save only water, which can be well
carried in skins on camels. Good Saracen inns may be
found at the end of each day's journey, and all that one
needs except wine.

XXIX.— Of Egypt.

After crossing this desert one comes into Egypt, on
entering which one finds places of the greatest beauty and
delight, full of all good things that the heart of man
can conceive, and full of everything needful except wine.
Travelling onward toward New Babylon^ one comes to a
very beautiful and delightful village called Belyab, and so,
leaving Alexandria and Damietta on the sea-shore, one
goes along the highroad and comes to Carra (Cairo) and
New Babylon, which are two exceeding great cities not far
apart, standing on the Nile, the river of Paradise. The
city which once vv^as called Carra (Cairo) is now called
Alcayre. In this city of old dwelt Pharaoh when he
persecuted the Hebrews. Herein also signs and wonders

^ ' New Babylon was a fortress, built by Babylonian exiles over
against Memphis in the time of the Persian kings' (Strabo, xvii. i).
— Dr. F. Deycks. But most mediaeval writers call Cairo 'Babylon'
without any reservation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

were wrought by Moses and Aaron, as the Bible testifies.
Near Carra (Cairo) on a mount, not high, but rocky,
stands the Soldan's palace, and there are very many other
strange and wondrous things. Above all, in these two
cities one sees elephants and gryphons. You must know
that Cairo is bigger than Babylon, and is not two cross-
bow-shots distant from it ; for Babylon stands on the bank
of the Nile, but Cairo stands a little way off the Nile.
Now, Cairo is bigger than Babylon, for I have heard from
merchants that they reckoned Cairo to be seven times as
big as Paris. In Cairo there are low buildings like ovens ;
in them are furnaces, wherein eggs are laid upon dung, and
by this heat chickens are hatched and come forth from the
eggs. The master then takes them and gives them to an
old woman, who nurses and cherishes the chickens in her
bosom, even as a hen does beneath its wings, and feeds
them and takes care of them. There are numberless old
women in those parts who have no means of livelihood
save by nursing and taking care of chickens, wherefore the
fowls there are like the sands of the sea for number. A
countryman often drives five or six thousand fowls to
market once a week, even as a shepherd drives his sheep,
and he takes a camel or some other beast with panniers,
which he fills with the eggs laid by the fowls on the way,
and when he comes into the market set apart for fowls, he
never loses one single fowl, neither do one man's fowls
ever mix themselves with another's, which is indeed
wonderful, when so many thousand fowls all meet together
in one place. Moreover, near Babylon there is an exceed-
ing fertile place with very rich pasture, called Goshen,
where the patriarch Jacob dwelt at the instance of Joseph
in Pharaoh's time, as the Bible tells us.

LUDOLPH VON SUCH EM'S

XXX. — Of the Garden of Balsam.^

Moreover, near Cairo, on the side toward the Syrian
desert, is the Garden of Balsam, which is half a stone's-
throw across, and not very strongly walled or fenced about.
In this garden there are five wells, which water the shoots
and shrubs of balsam, and each shoot or shrub has its own
especial guardian, who cleanses it, dresses it, and washes it
as carefully as he does his own body. These shoots or
shrubs of balsam do not grow so high as two ells, and have
a threefold leaf. At the beginning of March, when the
time of its ripening is at hand, it is watched yet more
carefully, and when it is ripe the shoots and shrubs are cut
and wounded, like as vines are pruned, and their wounds
and cuts are bound up with muslin. From these wounded
shoots the balsam drips out, as water does from a cut
vine, and oozes into the muslin bound round the wound.
Beneath each wounded branch and bandage there hangs a
silver cup, into which the best balsam drops. ^

Thus the tree is cut when the balsam runs; at that time
the Soldan of Babylon is very busy, being himself present
in the garden, and so carefully does he guard it that no one
but he himself can obtain a drop of balsam by any means.
But when the legates and ambassadors of certain kings and
princes come from foreign parts, he gives each of them a

^ This account of the Garden of Balsam is word for word the same
as that of John of Hildesheim in his ' History of the Three Kings.'
With regard to the properties attributed to balsam, the curious reader
may compare H. Crombach's account of myrrh in ' Primitiae Gentium,
sive Historia S.S. Trium Magorum,' torn, ii., chap. xli.

2 The Berlin MS. Diez C, marked ' A' by Dr. Deycks, has here the
words, ' As may be seen in the figure of this tree/ and a coloured
picture of the balsam-tree, which has three large and three small
boughs, from each ot which hangs a silver cup with a red spot in the
middle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

little glass phial, made specially for this purpose, with
balsam therein, which he thinks to be the richest jewel that
he could give. Afterwards, when all the (true and good)
balsam has thus oozed out, the guardians of the shrubs cut
off the ends of the shoots, which belong to them, boil them
in water, and then whatever balsam was left in the tops of
the shoots boils out like fat, and swims upon the top of the
water like oil, whence it is taken up with a spoon, put into
a vessel, and left to stand for some time. Even this
balsam is of great value, albeit it has been boiled, and it is
of a reddish colour, with some mixture of black ; but the
crude balsam which drips forth naturally is of the colour
of wine.i And you must know that crude balsam is the
most precious jewel in the world, wherefore the holy
patriarchs were wont to mix it with holy oil for anointing,
and whatsoever flesh is touched with crude balsam never
rots or corrupts, and when it is dripping fresh from the
tree, if a drop be placed in a man's hand, it will drip
through on the other side and pass through his hand.
Moreover, if four or five drops of crude balsam be put into
a man's eyes, which are going blind through lack of mois-
ture, old age, or any other infirmity, straightway his eyes
will for ever remain exactly as they were at the instant
when the balsam was poured in, getting neither better nor
worse ; wherefore, in one way it is a perilous venture to
try, unless a man altogether despairs of his sight. This
fact is clearly shown in many corpses of great men of old
which have been found entirely uncorrupt, because they
have been anointed with balsam. Likewise, if the scar of
a new wound, when it is beginning to heal, be rubbed round
once a day with half a drop of balsam on a pencil, it
straightway restores the skin of the wound as it was before,
and makes no blemish, and no one can see that there ever
^ See Sir John Maundeville, chap. v.

LUDOLPH VON SUCH EM'S

was a scar in the place. Moreover, this boiled balsam is
an exceeding noble drug, and is very good for the scars of
wounds, as aforesaid ; it is especially good when a man
falls down from a high place, for then if he takes some of
it his whole body, which was broken inside, would be
restored and made whole again. It has also much power
over the eyes, and is good for anointing flesh meat that it
may not decay. But in all and every way it has less power
than crude balsam ; for it is forced out by boiling, whereas
the crude balsam oozes out naturally. You must know
that only Christian men are able to tend and keep the
Garden of Balsam, for if other men were to tend and keep
it they would straightway shrivel up and die, as hath often
been proved. The Blessed Virgin Mary^ dwelt with the
Boy Jesus in the place where the Garden of Balsam now
is, when she fled into Egypt from before the face of Herod ;
and she constantly washed her sheets and clothes and Jesus
in the fountains which water the garden, for which cause it
is thought of a truth that the balsam grows here, for as far
as we know it is found nowhere else in all the world.'^ It
would take long to tell of the other virtues and glories of
balsam, neither can I recall them to my mind. In my
time, among the Christian guardians, there were four Ger-
mans, one from Schwartzenburg, who once had been a

^ Fabri, vol. iii., p. 2 (part ii., p. 746), came to the village of Busiris,
where his dragoman took the party into the castle of the village,
wherein are the Lord Soldan's hot baths, and summer palace, near the
Fountain of the Sun, which is the Fountain of the Blessed Virgin,
adjoining which is the Garden of Balsam. The pilgrims' lodging had
windows overlooking the garden, which he describes at length.

Fabri declares that the Queen of Sheba brought balsam to Solomon,
who planted it in the vineyard of Engaddi : ' Botrus cypri in vinea
Engaddi,' Cant. i. 14. ' Cyprus,' which the A.V. translates ' camphire,'
seems to have been thought in the Middle Ages to refer to the island.
Consequently a 'vineyard of Engaddi' was established there by the
Crusaders.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

renegade, and one other, a one-eyed man named Nicholas,
who was a very good man, as the Christian captives bore
witness. He was taken captive at Acre, but the Soldan
set him free because of his goodness, and made him guard
the steps of his bedchamber.

XXXI.— The Christians and the Ancient Tombs.

You must know that in Babylon and Cairo, in my time,
there were about four thousand Christian captives, not
counting children. These men have there a Patriarch,
priests, churches, and very many venerable relics of the
saints ; above all, they have the entire body of St. Bar-
bara^ the virgin, for which in my time many kings and
princes begged, but out of consideration for the comfort of
the captive Christians the Soldan never so much as cut off
one limb from her body. The Christian captives there
merrily keep St. Barbara's Eve,^ just as in these parts
people keep St. Martin's Eve, sending to one another the
seeds of divers plants. Near New Babylon, on the other
side of the Nile, toward the Egyptian desert, stand many
tombs of wondrous size, and one of great beauty, built of
great squared stones. Among these are two exceeding
great square sepulchres, once of great beauty. On one of
them there are many inscriptions carved, in Latin on one
wall, in Greek on another, in Hebrew on the third, and in
Chaldean and many unknown tongues on the fourth. On
the first wall, where the writings are in Latin, these verses

^ ' Item alia ecclesia beatae Barbaras virginis, qua corpus ipsius in
parvo monumento marmoreo conservatur.' — Wilhelm von Boldinsel,
chap. iii.. Fabri somewhere remarks that he had seen so many relics
of St. Barbara that he thought that there must have been more than
one saint of that name.

2 See John of Hildesheim's 'Historia trium Regum,' p. 154, in the
Early English Text Society's edition, by C. Horstmann ; Triibner, 1886.
Also p. 280 in the Latin version at the end.

are carved, as far as they can be read, because of their age,
as follows :

' Vidi pyramidas sine te, dulcissime frater,
Et tibi quod potui lacrimas hie moesta profudi.
Et nostri memorem luctus banc sculpo querelam —
S(c)it nomen Decimi Anni pyramidis alta,
Pontificis, comitisque tuis, Trajane, triumphis
Lustra sex intra censoris consulis esse.'^

' Alone ^ alas ! the Pyraniida I sec^
And can but weep, my brothe?' dear, for thee.
Upon the stone Pve sadly carved thy name,
The greatest Pyramid now knows the fame
Of Anniiis Dccimiis, who fought for Rome
With Trajan, and retimied in triumph home,
Who, e'en before his thirtieth birthday passed.
Was Pontiff, Consul, Censor, too, at lastJ

The interpretation of these verses I leave to the discreet
reader's judgment. These tombs are called by the natives
Pharaoh's granaries,^ and very many other wonders are to
be seen in and near Babylon. As I have heard from many
truthful men and merchants, ancient Babylon, where the
tower of Babel was, is some thirty days' journey distant
from thir Babylon, to the north-east, in Chaldaea, near
Baldach. And you must know that, after having dili-
gently for a space of five years conversed by day and by
night with all men who could speak any human language,
and after making daily inquiries of divers people, from all
of whom I got some information, I was nevertheless never
able to" make out from any living creature any more about
ancient Babylon, where the tower Babel was, than here
follows.

^ These verses are quoted, with slight variations, by W. von Boldin-
sc), who reads 'Cetianni' in line 4, whence Dr. C. L. Grotefend, his
editor, conjectures that the person alluded to may have been D. Titianus,
who was Consul a.d. 127. Fabri says, ii. 89^ (vol. iii., p. 43), that he
saw these verses, and gives an almost identical version of them.

2 Fabri, vol. iii., p. 67 ; ' Speculum Historiale,' book v., chap. i.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

XXXII.— Ancient Babylon, or Baldach.

In Eastern Chaldaca there is an exceeding fair and noble
city, powerful beyond measure, and at this day one of the
best of all the cities of the East, named Baldach.^ It
stands on the banks of the Euphrates, one of the rivers of
Paradise, and they who dwell there say and believe that
half a mile or thereabouts from it stood ancient Babylon.
This also is proved by the vast ruins and immense piles of
buildings of divers sorts, and of stones, which have a strange
aspect from a distance, especially at the place where the
tower of Babel stood, where th-e confusion of tongues arose.
Another proof lies in the impassable road between the
ruins and Baldach, by reason of the venomous creatures ;
and many other signs show that ancient Babylon stood
there, as the inhabitants do most firmly believe : for be-
cause of those venomous creatures ancient Babylon was
removed, and called by another name, to wit, Baldach. I
can tell nothing else that is true concerning old Babylon,
nor could I ever learn anything more about it from anyone
in those parts. In this city of Baldach there are now the
richest and best merchants under heaven, neither is there
in any place in the East so much and so many different
kinds of merchandise as there. In this city used to dwell
the Caliph, that is, the successor of Mahomet, to whom
the Saracens render obedience in all things, even as do the
Christians to the Pope, the successor of St. Peter. I will
tell you somewhat about the loss of this city of Baldach,

^ ' Dr. Rock (" Textile Fabrics," p. 40) derives the word " Baudekin,"
" Baldakinus,'"' from Ealdak or Bagdad, which " held for no short length
of time the lead all over Asia in weaving fine silks, and, in special,
golden stuffs.'"' — 'St. Paul's Cathedral,' by W. Sparrow Simpson, D.D.
London : E. Stock, 1894. ' Baudekin : tissue or cloth of gold, with
figures embroidered in silk (old statute).' — Bailey's Dictionary.
Littrd, s.v. ' baldaquin,' gives the same etymology.

LUDOLPH VON SUCH EM'S

according as I have read thereof in the chroniclesi and
histories of the kings of Armenia, and have heard from a
right truthful knight who was there at the time. In the
year of our Lord 1268, when the Tartars had conquered all
the kingdoms of the East, Ayco, the then King of Armenia,
of his own accord proceeded to the great Khan, the Em-
peror of the Tartars, to visit him. Ayco was kindly re-
ceived by him, because so great and singular an honour
had been shown him, that kings should of their own accord
visit him and come to meet him^ whereat he was much
pleased, and honoured the king with many presents. In
process of time, when the King of Armenia was about to
return home, he asked the Emperor to grant him five
boons. First, that the Emperor and all his people should
become Christians ; second, that there might always be
peace between the Tartars and Armenians ; third, that
he would destroy all the churches of Mahomet and con-
secrate them in honour of God ; fourth, that he would aid
him to recover the Holy Land and restore it to the Chris-
tians ; and fifth, that he would besiege Baldach and destroy
and bring to nought the Caliph, the successor of Mahomet,
and his name. To all these demands the Emperor wil-
lingly agreed and consented, and fulfilled them in every
respect, save only the fourth demand, which was hindered
by his death. With regard to the fifth demand, that he
should destroy Baldach and the Caliph, he charged his
brother Haloon,^ who then had conquered Persia, that as
soon as he had settled the kingdom of Persia, and pro-

^ He probably alludes to ' Haithoni Armeni Historia Orientalis' in
vol, ii. of Vincent of Beauvais's ' Fragmenta.'

2 Marco Polo calls him ' Houlagou Khan.' He tells the story of how
Houlagou offered the Caliph gold to eat, and probably it was from his
book that Ludolph copied it. Marino Sanuto improves the story by
saying that 'Halao' poured liquid gold down the Caliph's throat to
reproach him for his avarice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

vided for its safe-keeping, he should join the King of
Armenia in besieging Baldach. This he willingly did, and
had no sooner settled the affairs of Persia than he removed
himself to the great city of Nineveh, rested during the
winter, and when the month of March came, went with the
King of Armenia to Baldach and besieged the Caliph.
He charged his four chief captains, each of whom had
thirty thousand Tartars under him, to besiege Baldach
without ceasing until they should take the city, which was
done ; for they took the city on the thirtieth day, slew all
the inhabitants, both young men and old alike, and won
such rich spoils of gold, silver, precious stones, and other
kinds of wealth, as no one ever was heard to have taken in
any city whatsoever. Indeed, out of these spoils the whole
of Tartary has been made rich even to this day, and there
is not now in Tartary a single gold or silver cup that has
not been brought thither from Baldach. Now, when all
were slain or captured, they took the Caliph alive, and
offered him to Haloon, with all his treasure, which was so
great that Haloon feared to look upon it, and in wonder
said to the Caliph, ' How comes it, wretched man, that
thou hast so great a treasure, which I fear even to look
upon With it thou mightest have overcome the whole
world, and oughtest to have brought it under thy yoke.
Wherefore didst thou not hire enough troops to defend thy
city ?' The Caliph answered, ' Evil counsel brought this
ruin upon me ; for they said that even women could easily
defend the city against the Tartars.' Then said Haloon,
' Behold, thou art Mahomet's successor, and the teacher
of his law ; I dare not do thee any hurt, neither is it fitting
that thou shouldest live or eat like other men, for out of
thy mouth proceeds the law and doctrine of Mahomet.'
He ordered him to be placed in a fair palace, and poured
out before him gold and silver, precious stones, and pearls,

saying to him, ' Mouth, from whence proceeds so great a
law and doctrine, it befits thee to eat such precious food
as this.' So the Cah'ph was shut up in the palace, and on
the twelfth day was found dead of hunger ; and after him
no Caliph, successor to Mahomet, has arisen in Baldach,
even to this day. At present the Emperor of the Tartars
rules in Baldach, but its inhabitants are chiefly Saracens
dwelling under an exceeding heavy tribute. In these parts
I have heard and read many falsehoods about Baldach ; for
in these parts men have said, in short, and have had it in
writing, that the King of Baldach sent letters to the lords
of those parts, and invited them to jousts and tournaments,
which is utterly false. There is no man that can remember
jousts or tournaments ever to have been held in Baldach,
for the people occupy themselves with other things. Near
Baldach, at a distance of four days' journey, is another
city, which once was called Susa, wherein Ahasuerus
flourished. This city, which once was called Susa, is now
called Thaurus. In this city there is a dry tree, whereof it
is said that the Emperor of the Romans is fated to hang his
shield thereon. 1 The people of this city say that no Jew
can live or sojourn therein. Not far from Thaurus is
another city, named Cambeleth, which also belongs to the
Emperor of the Tartars, and it is said that that city is
richer and better than all the realm of the Soldan.

XXXIIL— Of the River Nile.

But to return to my subject : the Nile, one of the rivers
of Paradise, flows through Egypt near New Babylon and
Damietta_, and falls into the Mediterranean Sea near Alex-
andria. It is bigger and wider than the Rhine, and is very

' Dicitur quod Imperalor Romanorum in ea clipeum suum pendere
debeat.

muddy, because it sometimes runs into the ground or into
mountains, and is not seen again for two or three miles,
and then comes out of the earth again and enters it again,
until it comes to Egypt, where it flows straight on. It
contains excellent and very fat fishes, and its water is ex-
ceeding wholesome ; when first drawn out, it is warm, but
when it is put in a jar in the sun it becomes cool, and
greatly helps digestion. The sources of this river have
never been discovered, beyond what the Holy Scripture^
says thereof, albeit attempts have often been made. In
my time the Soldan kept swimmers who were able to sup-
port themselves in the water as naturally as fish. The
Soldan promised these men great rewards if they would
discover the source of the river, and would bring him a
green bough of aloes-wood for a sign. These swimmers
went away once upon a time, and did not return for three
or four years. Some of them died on the way, and those
who returned said that at last the river came down from
the mountains with such great force that they could do
nothing at all against it. In this river there is an evil
beast called a crocodile, which is exceeding strong, fierce,
and swift, and does much hurt to those who dwell near
him, and to their beasts, and for fear of him it is dangerous
to sail upon the Nile. This beast is very great. I have
seen a crocodile's skin through which an ox might easily
pass. I have been told by a certain Knight Templar that
once upon a time the Templars caught a young crocodile
and drew his teeth, and that a stone which ten men could
not move was tied to his tail, and he drew it alone up to a
building that was being made. Yet he is slain by a little
worm, which naturally hates him, and follows him whither-
soever he goes. The crocodile swallows him, together

^ Under the name ofGihon, Gen. ii. 13.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

with other food, and then the worm pierces the crocodile's
heart and slays him. There are likewise many other evil
beasts in the Nile.

XXXIV.— Of the Land of Egypt.
Now, the land of Egypt is very rich, pleasant, and de-
lightful, abounding beyond all other lands in the world in
trees, fruits, herbs, meadows, and pastures. It is fifteen
days' journey long, and three days' journey wide, and is, I
have been told, like an island, surrounded by the desert
upon three of its sides, and bounded by the Grecian Sea upon
the fourth side. This desert is seven or eight days' journey
wide in its narrowest part. Egypt is an exceeding hot
country, so that winter there can scarce be distinguished
from summer, and roses and other flowers never, or scarce
ever, cease blooming, albeit it never rains there. Its people
have two brazen columns with marks thereon. One of these
they have set up in the middle of the Nile near Babylon,
and the other in the Nile near Alexandria, and when the
river rises so high as to touch the marks on the columns,
then there cannot be any scarcity for two years to come.
Thereupon the Egyptians lead the waters of the Nile
through ditches and channels and passages, and cause
them to run about their land, their fields, woods, gardens,
and orchards, which are then refreshed and watered
throughout, and when the land has been thus watered at
night, the corn and grass will have grown more than a
hand's breadth by morning. At that time the Egyptians
keep watch all that night beside the waters, until all the
land is watered. Every year this river begins to rise thus
in the month of August, and waxes every day until the
Feast of St. Michael, and makes the most desert land
abound with delights and fertility. While the Nile is
rising thus, the people catch all kinds of trees, herbs, and

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

little birds therein, with nets, more especially aloes-wood
and the little birds called parroquets. But where this
wood comes from no man has ever found out. It seems
that these are old trees, dried up by age, which fall into
the water from the mountains. At that time they also
take in the Nile shittim wood, which cuts up well like
other woods, but cannot be burned. The little green par-
roquet birds^ are caught together with the boughs and trees
whereon they live, as aforesaid. Some say that they are
born in the mountains of Gilboa, which is false ; and they
say, too, that they cannot endure water, which also is false,
for they are bred upon islands and on the water, and I
have seen them swimming on the sea ; but they cannot
well endure cold, neither can they keep on flying or swim-
ming for long. This river Nile also has very rich islands
in it, abounding in crops and other good things. In Egypt
also there are countless fowls, as you have heard already,
which are hatched in ovens and in the sun's rays. Like-
wise in Egypt there are numberless partridges, more than
all the birds^ in this country, and this seems very strange,
though there it is common. For sometimes a countryman
brings ten thousand partridges with him to market, all of
them flying, and when the countryman sits down on the
ground they all stop with him, and when he rises and claps
his hands they all fly along with him again. If he loses
any of them some way off, he whistles with a pipe, and
they straightway come back ; and when he comes to the
poultry market in the city, he sells as many of them as he
can, and takes those which he cannot sell home again with
him. A wonderful number of pigeons also are to be seen

^ Haitho, the Armenian, in his ' Historia Orientalis,' chap, v., 'De
Regno Indiae,' mentions ' aves qui vocantur papagai.'

2 Isa. xviii. i calls Egypt ' a land shadowing with wings ' ; but this is
usually interpreted to be an allusion to the sails of vessels on the Nile.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

in Egypt, and I do not believe that in any place in the
world there are so many pigeons as in Egypt. It is alto-
gether forbidden to catch them, for the Soldan and other
princes send all their messages by carrier pigeons, wherefore
in a short time they know the news and secrets of distant
lands. In Egypt also there are numberless deer, so that
the fawns of deer and of goats may be found on the roads
and in gardens like domestic sheep, and are caught and
sold by they who pass by. In Egypt also, even at this
day, many cloisters and monasteries, churches and hermit-
ages, are standing entire, but deserted, and excellently well
painted, but their paintings have been in many ways
spoiled by the Saracens. Likewise in the Egyptian deserts
there stand at this day so many cells and hermitages of
holy fathers, that in some places, I believe, for two or
three (German) miles there is one at every bow-shot. At
the present day very many of them are inhabited by Indians,
Nubians, and Syrians, living under the rule of St. Antony
and St. Macarius. In these deserts God hath wrought
great miracles by the hands of the holy fathers, and es-
pecially at the place called Stichi,^ by the hands of St.
Antony and St. Macarius, as is told in the ' Lives of the
Fathers.' In this desert there is a place beneath an ex-
ceeding tall and narrow rock, wherein St. Antony used to
dwell, and from out of that rock there flows a stream for
half a stone's-throw, until it is lost in the sand, even as
running water flows into snow and is seen no more. This
place is visited by many for devotion and pleasure, and also
by the grace of God and in honour of St. Antony many
sicknesses are healed and driven away by this fountain. It
is believed to have flowed forth from the rock at his especial
prayer, which is clearly true, for it appears to flow no

^ Solitiidinem Sceie sive SciiJii. Life of St. Macarius in ' Acta
Sanctorum.'

DESCRIPTIOX OF THE HOLY LAND.

further than was enough to give water to his little cell and
little garden. It would take long to tell of the other
glories of Egypt, its fertility and its beauty ; but I may
add that all sheep, goats, and the like beasts bear young
ones twice in the year, and for the most part bear twins at
each birth. In Egypt there are three exceeding great
cities, which stand beside the Nile, the river of Paradise ;
that is to say, New Babylon, Alexandria, and Damietta.
This city was of old called Rages,^ afterwards Edissa, and
now Damietta. It was to this city that Tobit^ of yore sent
his son to Gabael. In this city also the body of St. Thomas
once lay, and through him God wrought many miracles in
the same. In this city^ also was the letter which Jesus
sent to Abgarus, King of this city, wherefore no heretic or
infidel was suffered to remain long therein. But afterwards
for the sins of the people the city was profaned, and thus
at this day it has all been brought to nought. At this day
the city has been removed further inland away from the
Nile. It was often taken away from the Saracens by St.
Louis, the King of the French, and other Christians. But
St. Louis was taken prisoner there, and for his ransom the
city was given back to the Saracens. Now, since the
Saracens had heard that none but Christians could live in
the city, they removed the city to another place out of
hatred for them. At this day the city is chiefly inhabited
by fishermen, and very many merchants come together

1 ' Regnum Mesopotamiae dilalatur usque ad flumen Euphratem et
civitatem Rohais, quae fuit civitas regni Abagari, ad quern fuit trans-
missa Veronica, quae hodie Romae invenitur.' — Haython, chap. xii.

2 Tobit V. 7. The city to which Tobit sent his son was Rhey, near
Teheran, in Persia.

3 He has just told us that Damietta was otherwise called Edissa ;
he now confuses it with Edessa (Orfa) in Upper Mesopotamia.
Marino Sanuto knew where Edessa was, but identified it with Rages
(book iii., part vii , chap. i.).

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

there with their ships, and buy great quantities of fish
exceeding cheap, which they export to all parts of the
world. Many other wonders may be read of about this
city.

XXXV.— Of the Desert and of Mount Sinai.

But to return to my subject : going on from Cairo and
Babylon one reaches Sinai in twelve days, for six of which
one passes along the road whereof I have just told you,
which is full of people, and where there are many things to
be seen ; and for six days one passes over the desert, and
must carry all things needful upon camels and beasts of
burden — to wit, bread, wine, water, meat, biscuits, grapes
and raisins, figs, and the like, and, above all, mats to sleep
on at night. You must know that the camels, who pass
that way every day, know exactly the length of a day's
journey and the proper resting-places, and when they
come to those places in the evening they lie down on the
ground to chew the cud, and will go no further, which is
as much as to say to you that this is the proper day's
journey and halting-place ; and then they are fed with
bread and thorns. A camel is easily fed, and scarce drinks
once in three days, whereas if they had to be foraged in
proportion to their size, no man could cross the desert
with them. After you have crossed the desert you come
to the Red Sea, and you must know that the desert is
nought but salt and sandy ground, burnt exceeding dry
by the sun's heat, and it is rare to find any green thing
therein. Howbeit, the desert is not barren in all parts
alike, and it is a wondrous thing that whereas its rocks and
mountains are very salt, yet the fountains which gush forth
therein are very sweet, and are most excellent to drink.
Beside these fountains are grass and herbs and the like
green things. Near them also one finds the tracks of

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

lions, dragons, and other dangerous beasts, and especially
of hares. When one has crossed this desert in six days
and beheld its wonders, one comes to the Red Sea, as
aforesaid, when coming from Babylon. The Red Sea has
excellent fishes in large quantities. Its water is not red,
but the earth and bottom thereof is red ; the water appears
red to one looking down upon it because of the red bottom,
but at a distance it is of the same colour as other water,
and its water is exceeding clear and pellucid, so that a
penny can be clearly seen on its bottom at a distance of
twenty stadia, and then because of its red bottom and the
clearness of its water it looks like the clearest red wine.
One finds much coral_, many precious stones, and other
things, cast up on its shores. The Red Sea lies in Arabia,
and all the land of Arabia is red, wherefore because of this
redness what things soever grow or are born therein,
save only men, are red. For this cause the purest gold
is found there, like slender roots. Moreover, in the Red
Sea there are many islands, wherein grow red woods of
divers kinds, chief among which is found what is called
here Brazil^ wood. The Red Sea is not very big, neither
long nor wide, and at the place where the children of Israel
passed over it is scarcely four or five miles wide. In the
Red Sea there is a castle belonging to the Soldan, wherein
noble Christian captives are imprisoned. Moreover, this
castle keeps guard lest any Latin or man from this side of
the sea or born in these parts should pass by it to India,
lest they should bring home any tidings of the power and
condition of the people in parts beyond the sea, or of
Prester John and the Indians, or carry letters to them ;
for it would be easy to sail down the Red Sea to the
ocean and to India if this castle did not stand in the
way. But the Indians and Eastern merchants may pass
^ Fabri, ii. 656.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEiWS

that way as often as they please. Howbeit I know
bishops and lords who are ever wont to send accounts of
this part of the East, and all kinds of news, across the
Red Sea to Prester John. The men of this castle are wont
to make great nets of leathern thongs, and cast them into
the sea. Then they let the coral, which grows in the sea
like a plant, entangle itself among the thongs, and every
half-year they pull it up full of countless and most splendid
corals, whereby they make vast gain all for nothing.
Through this Red Sea comes much precious merchandise
from India, and this is taken through that branch of the
sea which runs out of the Red Sea, and down the Nile to
all parts of the world. As I have said already, by going
thus round about the shore of the Red Sea one comes to
the place where the children of Israel crossed over the sea
when pursued by the Egyptians, and on this journey one
finds many rare things of divers sorts on the beach. Thus,
after leaving many mountains behind, and seeing many
wondrous sights, one comes to the well of Marah,^ where
the water was salt when the children of Israel passed that
way, and by casting in wood was at God's bidding made
sweet. Going on from Marah through various places, after
seeing and leaving behind many mountains, one comes to
Elim,^ where when the children of Israel passed that way
there were seventy palm-trees and twelve wells. This
place is very fertile and very beautiful ; one can also see
that many cells of holy fathers and hermitages once stood
near it. Leaving Elim, one comes into the wilderness of
Sin, to Mount Sinai. An exceeding great and fair convent
has been built at the foot of this mountain, in the place
where Moses saw the burning bush which was not con-
sumed, and God spoke to him out of the bush ; it is roofed
with lead, fenced with iron doors, and well fortified in every
' Exod, XV. 23. 2 Exod. xv. 27.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

way. In it are more than four hundred Greek, Georgian,
and Arab monks, both clerical and lay, who do not always
abide in the monastery, but are scattered abroad here and
there, working at the business affairs of the monastery.
By great toil they get what is needful both for themselves
and for pilgrims, and right faithfully distribute the same to
pilgrims ; they live most devout, strict, and chaste lives, in
humble obedience to their Archbishop and prelates, dwelling
in all holiness and righteousness in all things. They rarely
drink wine save on especial feast-days, never eat flesh, but
feed on salads, vegetables, beans, dates, and the like, with
water, vinegar, and salt, in one refectory without table-
furniture. They most devoutly celebrate Divine service
daily and nightly according to their rite, and in all things
follow the rule of St. Antony. The lay brethren work
very hard, burning charcoal on the mountains, and bring-
ing dates from Elim in great quantities on the backs of
camels and beasts of burden to Babylon, where they sell
them, and there ample alms and presents are made to them
by the Christians and merchants dwelling there. Without
this so many people could not support themselves in a
desert place, nor could they afford the costly hospitality
which they so liberally and kindly bestow upon pilgrims ;
but they fetch dates from Elim and charcoal from the
mountains, a distance of more than twelve days' journey,
and sell them, as I have told you already. In this monas-
tery stands an exceeding fair church, which they keep very
clean within, and light with many lamps and lights of
divers kinds, and hold in especial reverence the place
where the high altar stands. They put off their shoes
before entering this place, and make pilgrims who wish to
enter it put off their shoes likewise ; for in the place where
the high altar now is once stood the burning bush, out of
which God said unto IMoses, ' Put off thy shoes from thy

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.'^
In this church, on the right-hand side of the high altar, but
in a higher place, stands a kind of chest of white marble,
wherein are placed and enclosed the head and the bones of
the glorious virgin Catharine, mixed together in disorder,
which bones were translated thither from the top of Mount
Sinai. This head and bones are displayed very solemnly by
the Archbishop and other prelates of the monastery, with
censers, candles, and acolytes ; and at these times the
Saracen guides and camel-drivers and grooms who come
with the pilgrims earnestly beg that they, too, may be
allowed to see these holy and wondrous bones, and kneel
with the greatest devotion by the side of the Christians.
When the bones are thus being shown to the pilgrims, if
there be a bishop or other prelate among the pilgrims,
then the Archbishop or chief prelate of the monastery
takes one of the holy bones in his hand, and rubs it hard
with a silver instrument shaped like a rod, whereupon oil^
bursts forth from the pores like sweat. In the chest
wherein the holy bones are enclosed, there has been formed
in one corner a cavity into which all the oil that runs out
of all the bones flows and gathers. There is always a
silver spoon in this cavity, which the prelate who shows
the bones takes in his hand, fills little glass phials with the
oil, and gives each pilgrim a little phial with oil therein.
Moreover, in this monastery there are very many other
venerable relics, yet the monks of the monastery could not
exist there save by the especial grace of God, for divers
reasons caused by the instigation of the devil. For this
cause there never is any jealousy or discord among them,
but they are in favour with all who see them, as well
with Saracens as with Christians, and especially with the
Soldan, who is wont to bestow great alms upon them.
' Exod. iii. 5. - Anon., i. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

So in their labours and continual passage over the desert
they never are hurt by any dangers or by fierce beasts,
neither are they troubled or made sick either in summer
or winter by unseasonable weather or excessive heat of the
sun. They have even, I believe, obtained an especial
grace, whereby certain unclean creatures, such as flies,
wasps, hornets, fleas, and the like, cannot live there, or
enter the walls of the convent.^ A monk of that convent
of rare learning told me that once upon a time, at the
instigation of the devil and by Divine permission, these
creatures did them as much harm as they could, and they
suffered so many and such grievous torments and molesta-
tions from unclean creatures of this sort, that they even
thought of leaving the place, but by the holy counsel of
one of the monks they took courage, and prayed to God
that of His mercy He would drive away and remove all
such creatures from them. This prayer was straightway
granted by Him, and from that time forth they have never
noticed any such creatures whatsoever within the walls of
the monastery, albeit without the walls they do most
grievous hurt both to men and beasts. Moreover, it has
often been proved that such unclean creatures when carried
alive within the walls die straightway. All these privileges
the brethren have obtained by their holy and righteous
lives, for they do not serve the pilgrims for money or out
of greed, but to all who come thither and for as long as
they please to stay there, whether they be rich or poor,
high or low, the brethren give all that they themselves
have, simply and kindly, in God's name ; and should any-
one offer to give them, or any one of them, any present,
they altogether refuse and reject it, and should any one of
them take it, he would be severely punished. So also
when the pilgrims are leaving them they most kindly, and
^ Sir John Maundeville, chap. v. ; Fabri, ii. 551.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

without any charge, give each one of them loaves of bread,
beans, and the like, according to the best of their abihty,
for each day of his journey, until he shall reach the
dwellings of men, and this they do alike to rich and poor,
high and low. These monks hold the Feast of St. Gregory
the Pope in especial reverence above all other feasts, for
during the time when he was head of the Church he
supported them by gifts from the treasury of the Church,
and encouraged them to dwell there, and from that time
forth they have remained four hundred in number, though
before they were few.

Above this monastery towers Mount Sinai, up which one
climbs by many steps with greater toil than words can
express. At the top of this mount a church stands on the
spot where God said to Elijah the prophet, 'What dost
thou here, Elijah as we read in the Book of Kings.
Near this there is another chapel in the place where the
law was given to Moses, and the glory of the Lord appeared
to him. At this place there is still to be seen a cavity in
the hard rock, wherein the image of Moses is engraved as
in a seal. It was in this cavity that God stretched forth
His right hand over Moses when He passed by in His
majesty and showed Moses His hinder parts, because
Moses could not abide the splendour of His face. It was
to the top of another taller mountain beside a deep valley
in the same place that the body of the glorious virgin
Catharine was borne by angels from Alexandria, and
miraculously discovered by the hermits who dwelt thereon.
This same mount is most toilsomely climbed and visited,
but on its top there is no chapel, or oratory, or dwelling,
I suppose because the ascent is so difficult that human
hands could not build anything there. But there may be
seen the place where St. Catharine's body was found,
where there is the mark of human shoulders on the rock,

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

and this place is marked with stones. Upon this mount

God wrought many wonders, all of which it would take
long to tell. You must know that Mount Sinai exceeds
all the other mountains of those parts in height, and, as I
have said, one climbs it with exceeding great toil, more
than any tongue can tell, up very many^ exceeding narrow
steps cut out of the rock. On the side towards Egypt it
loses the name of Sinai, and is called Horeb. From its
top all the countries round about can be easily viewed, and
at that height a man is greatly affected by the air ; from
thence one can narrowly examine the Red Sea, Elim, the
place where it rained manna upon the children of Israel,
and all the other places in the neighbourhood. At the
foot of the mount is a fair plain, whereon Moses used to
feed the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, and there he saw
the burning bush. It was on this plain also that Israel
fought against Amalek,^ while Moses prayed with uplifted
hands, and Joshua (Aaron) and Ur stayed up his hands.
It was likewise on this plain that the children of Israel
made themselves a molten calf, whereof the Bible tells us.
On this plain also the fire consumed Nadab and Abihu,^
and many places may be seen round about it of which the
Scriptures make mention.

XXXVI. — Of the Wilderness of Sinai.

From Mount Sinai one journeys on toward Syria across
the wilderness in thirteen days, taking some provisions of
one's own, and being given some by the convent. This
wilderness is very bad and dangerous. It lies in Arabia,
and all this land, whether it be habitable or desert, is called

^ The ' Commemoratorium de Casis Dei^ says that there were 7,700
steps. See Tobler's excellent note in his ' Descriptiones Terrae
Sanctae,' p. 384.

- Exod. xvii. 3 Lev. x. i.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

Arabia. In this wilderness there is exceeding great scarcity
of water, and countless people dwell therein like wild beasts.
They are called Bedouins, and move about in companies
of hundreds and of thousands together, dwelling in tents
made of felt or leather,^ and roaming to and fro about the
wilderness with their cattle and beasts of burden, pasturing
them in whatever places they can find water, though it
be only a little, in wells and runnels, and living on the
milk of their camels and flocks. They never eat bread,
unless some pilgrims chance to give them some, or unless
it be brought to them more than twelve days' journey ; for
they neither sow nor reap, but live like wild beasts, and
their faces are dreadful to look upon, black, and bearded ;
they are very fierce and swift, and on the backs of their
dromedaries they can go as far as they please in one day,
seeking for the places where water may be found. They
wind an exceeding long linen cloth round their heads
because of the unbearable heat of the sun, and they use
bows and arrows. In this wilderness water can scarce be
found for two or three days' journey together, and in
places where it is found on one day it will be dried up on
another. Moreover, in this wilderness, in places which are
altogether flat for one hour, in another hour a monstrous
hill of sand^ may be heaped up and gathered together, first
in one place and then in another, never continuing in one
stay, wherefore the road across the wilderness can never
be known save by the mountains, and from the Bedouins, ^
who know and understand the roads in the wilderness even
as men know the way about their own houses. These^

' ' Sub tentoriis de filtris et pellibus.' Wilhelm von Boldinsel, as
well as Ludolph, has these words.

2 Fabri, ii. 469.

3 'Parum curant de Soldano ; ipse tamen caute capitaneos eorum
trahit ad se muneribus et hujusmodi, quia, ut dicitur, quando cultores
hujus deserti vellent et pssent unanimes, possent /Egyptum et Syriam
de facili occupare.' — W. \'o-n Boldinsel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

Bedouins care nothing for the Soldan, and render him no
obedience whatever ; but the Soldan cautiously tempts
and quiets them with presents, even when they dwell far
away from him ; for if they chose they could with the
greatest ease conquer and ruin the whole of the Soldan's
kingdom. The Virgin Mary crossed this wilderness with
the Child Jesus, when she fled from Judaea from before the
face of Herod, and all along the road whereby she is
believed to have passed there grow dry roses which in these
parts are called roses of Jericho. The Bedouins gather
these roses in the wilderness and sell them to pilgrims for
bread ; moreover, the Saracen women are very glad to have
these roses by them, and when about to be delivered they
drink the water which has been poured over the roses, and
declare that they are most useful and valuable during
pregnancy.^ In this wilderness there are many other
perils, whereof it would take long to tell, from winds,
sands, savage men, serpents, lions, dragons, and other
venomous and dangerous beasts. Now, after crossing this
wilderness, which lies to the southward, one comes to the
beginning of the Promised Land, to a city, once fair but
now deserted, called Beersheba. It appears that this city
was once adorned with many fair churches, whereof some
remain standing at this day.

XXXVII.— Hebron, the Vale of Mambre, and
Bethlehem.

Going on from Beersheba at mid-day, one comes to a
fair and ancient city, still tolerably populous, named
Hebron. On the side of a hill near this city there stands
a fair church, wherein is the double cave^ wherein the
three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are buried

I John of Hildesheim, chap, xxiii. -- Gen. xxiii. 17.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

together with their wives. This church is held especially
sacred by the Saracens, and they will not suffer any
Christian to enter it, but let them pray at the door. They
suffer Jews to enter, which in my time they paid money to
do. Howbeit this church can be viewed by Christians
both inside and out, and wathin it is whitewashed and
well adorned with stones, and one goes downstairs as into
a cellar, into the cave where the patriarchs and their wives
are buried. Near Hebron is the field of whose earth
Adam was made, and the more of that earth is dug up
and carried away, the more it fills up of its own accord.
This earth is carried away to distant lands, and some say
that it is sold, but about that I know nothing for certain.
Near Hebron also is the vale of Mambre, where Abraham
sat at the door of his tent and saw three^ and worshipped one.
In my time there were in Hebron three renegades, from
the diocese of Minden, it was said. Two of them were
esquires,'^ and the third was their servant. One of them
carried water on his shoulders and sold it in the street, as
is the custom in those parts ; another laboured with his
hands and got his living as best he could; the third, who
was their servant, was a soldier, because he was thought a
better-looking fellow in every way by the Soldan's officers.
When asked why they had renounced their faith, they
replied that they had hoped that their lord would obtain
riches and honour, but he had disappointed them, and they
declared with groans that they would willingly steal away
out of the country if they could ; for they were leading a
most wretched life. They had not the heart to tell who they

' Gen. xviii. i, 2. Compare W. von Boldinsel, chap. v. ; and Anon.,
vi., p. 38, note.

2 Do)nicelli. I find in ' Littre's Dictionary,' ^ Damoiseaic : titre
donne autrefois a un jeune gentilhomme qui n'dtait pas encore re9u
chevaher. . . , Etym. anc. Liegois, dames heal ; Prov. donzel^ etc., etc.,
du has Latin doininicellus^ diminutifde doimnns, seigneur.'

had formerly been. These three men were very friendly
with a certain knight in those parts, named William de
Bolensele {sic), who lay in over - sea parts before my
time, and was greatly honoured there by the Soldan and
other kings and princes. I have heard that he died at
Cologne.^ Going on from Hebron, one easily reaches
Bethlehem in one day. On this day's road once stood the
monastery of St. Karioth the Abbot.- When the time of
his dissolution was at hand, his monks, seeing him to be
in the last agony, said, ' After the death of our Abbot St.
Karioth, shall we live any longer upon earth And at
that very word they all entered upon their last agony and
died, and remained for a long time uncorrupt, standing
as though in the death-agony, neither were the Saracens
able to destroy them, albeit they often tried ; but now
the convent is desolate, and no traces of them remain.
Bethlehem is an exceeding fair and pleasant village, not a
long one, standing upon a mountain ridge, and almost
entirely inhabited by Christians. It abounds with pastures,
grass, and herbs, and is well fenced by valleys all round
about ; wherefore the King of Jerusalem and the Christians
were always wont to gather together their armies there.
Its people have abundance of wine and other good things.
In Bethlehem^ stands a great and very fair church, most

^ Wilhelm von Boldinsel landed at Tyre in 1332, was at Jerusalem
on May 5, 1333, and wrote his book ia the spring of 1336. A letter of
his, dated Avignon, Michaelmas Day, 1337, is extant, in which he
states his intention of coming to Cologne.

2 Anon., p. 62, note ; p. 72.

3 ' Super tugurium et speluncam nativitatis domini Helena pul-
cherrimam fundavit ecclesiam opere mosayco, marmoribus auro et
vitro regaliter et ditissime ornatam, in modum castri cum propug-
naculis factam ; sed non est testudinata, sed super ligna et tigna
cedrina est plumbo cooperta. et in hac ecclesia ante chorum descen-
ditur ad speluncam in qua Christus natus est, et non longe ab altari
quod ibidem est, est presepium trium vel quatuor pedum, in quo
Christus infantulus fuit reclinatus ; et in ipsa spelunca S. leronymus

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEAfS

excellently fortified with many towers and outworks like a

castle. It is roofed with lead ; it is adorned with mosaic
work of jasper, marble, and gold, beyond, I believe, any
other church under the sun, and is in every way built most
richly, nobly, and royally, as it is meet that it should be.
It possesses about seventy precious marble columns, and is
not vaulted, but roofed beneath the lead with most noble
wood, and beams and planks of cedar. The walls of the
church are gilded under glass, and wondrously wrought
with painted glass. Before my time the Saracens wanted
to carry off some of the columns, but were much frightened
by a vision,^ and let them stand, nor did they ever try to
take them away afterwards. In front of the choir in this
church one goes down some steps into a stone cave, not
built, but natural, wherein, immediately beneath the high
altar, is the place where for our sake God was made man
of a virgin mother. On the place itself there stands an
altar, and not far from the altar stands the manger wherein
the Blessed Virgin Mary laid the Infant Jesus, wrapped in
swaddling clothes, very God and man weeping in human
weakness even as children are wont to weep. Near the
manger may still be seen irons fixed in the marble with
lead, wherein were iron rings to which the country people
tied their beasts of burden and cattle when they came to
market. The manger is of stone, about four palms long,
as is the custom in that land. St. Jerome is buried in this
cave. On the night of the Nativity all nations under

Paula et Eustochium sunt sepulti. et in ista ecclesia sunt Ixx
columpne marmoree ; et anno dni M^ccc^xli" Sarraceni pulchriores
columpnas excipere voluerunt et in templo suo ponere, sed horribili
visione perterriti ipsas stare permiserunt.' — John of Hildesheim's
* Historia ill Regum/ chap, xxxviii.

' See John of Hildesheim, in preceding note ; Fabri, i. 598. The
date in the preceding note, 1341, must be wrong, as Marino Sanuto,
who wrote before that date, tells the same story. The legend was
probably a much older one, possibly connected with serpent worship.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

heaven assemble there, as is very right, and each nation
has a particular place in this church set apart for itself for
ever wherein to celebrate Divine service according to its
own rite. The Latins have now the place wherein God
was made man, and in like manner each separate nation
has its own separate place. In my time the Nubians had
not as yet any place of their own, but the Soldan had a
chapel especially built for them. Before this church stands
the monastery in which St. Jerome, St. Paula, and Eusto-
chium, and very many other saints once dwelt, and by the
grace of God wrought many miracles. A Saracen now
dwells on this spot, and receives one Venetian penny
from anyone who wants to go into the church. Also at
Bethlehem there is an underground chapel beneath the
rock, which seems to have had two doors, and therefore
one could pass straight through it, but now one door has
been built up. In this pit, which now is a chapel, the
Blessed Virgin lay hid for three days for fear of Herod,
and suckled the Child Jesus there. In her fear she chanced
to let fall some of her milk^ upon a stone in that place,

^ See Fabri, i. 563, in this series, and Marino Sanuto, iii., xiv. 11 ;
also Abbot Daniel, p. 41. In John of Hildesheim's ' Historia Trium
Regum,' chap, xxvii., I find the following : ' Post recessum trium regum
beata virgo cum infantulo Jhesu in tugurio aliquantulum permansit,
sed crescente de ipsa et de tribus Regibus tarn mirabiU fama, tunc
de ipso tugurio in aham spelunca subterraneam cum infantulo Jhesu
metu Judeorum intravit, et usque ad diem purificacionis sue perman-
sit in ea : et quia omnes eam diligebant, prout poterant ipsam colebant
et necessaria ei ministrabant ; in qua spelunca post modum facta est
capella in honore iii Regum at S. Nychclai consecrata. et videtur
per ipsam capellam communis transitus fuisse, et ii januas habuisse,
sed una jam lapidibus est obstructa. et in ilia capella videtur adhuc
lapis super quem beata virgo sedendo Filium lactare consuevit. et
quadam vice modicum lactis de sua mamilla super lapidem cecidit,
cujus lactis species usque in presentem illem super ipsum lapidem
permansit, et quanto plus abraditur tanto plus crescit.' — John of
Hildesheim, edited by C. Horstmann, in the Early English Text
Society. See also ' Guide-book,' p. 26, note.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEAPS

which milk is there even to this day. The milk oozes out
of the stone like moisture, and is a milky colour with a
tinge of red. The more of the milk is scraped off, the
more is restored in the same quantity, and no more. This
is the milk which may be seen, and is shown in many
different churches ; for it is taken away hither and thither
by the pilgrims. Also near Bethlehem there is a great
cave in the rock, into which a great number of bodies of
the Innocents were cast, and this rock has been almost
entirely carried away by pilgrims. Moreover, one mile
from Bethlehem is the place where St. Jerome was
especially wont to dwell, and where he translated many
books from Hebrew, Chaldee, and Greek into Latin.
Near Bethlehem also, half a mile away toward Sodom and
Gomorrah, is the place where the angels announced to the
shepherds that God was born as man. In this place there
has been built an exceeding fair double church, which is
called Gloria in excelsis, which the angels sang there. For
this cause in Bethlehem also they begin all the canonical
hours of the day with Gloria in excelsis, just as we do with
Deus in adjutorium} And they begin all Masses, even
Masses for the souls of the dead, w^ith Gloria in excelsis deo,
by special custom, as I have often seen in their service-
book. This is Bethlehem, the city of God most high,
wherein David was born, whereof also the prophet Micah
said, 'And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not
the least among the princes of Juda.'^ For Bethlehem

^ ' In loco etiam in quo pastoribus angelus Christum natum annun-
ciavit ; ipsa duplicem ecclesiam pulcherriman construxit, quam Gloria
in excelsis vocavit ; que ecclesia fuit quondam ditissimum collegium
canonicorum, qui ex special! privilegio omnes horas canonicas cum
"Gloria in excelsis deo,' etc., inceperunt, sicud nos per "Deus in
adjutorium," et adhuc incipiunt ibidem horas cum " Gloria in excelsis." '
— John of Hildesheim, chap, xxxvii.

'-' Micah V. 2 ; Matt. ii. 6.

stands in the midst of Judah, wherefore the whole of that
land is called Judaea ; but the land which once was called
Judaea is now called Syria, and its people are called
Syrians. From Bethlehem one goes on to Jerusalem, by
a road on the left of which is the tomb of Jacob's wife
Rachel, at the place where she bore Benjamin, and died in
childbirth. Near this road is the aforesaid church called
Gloria in excelsis, and also beside this road there are and
have been very many cells of saints, churches and caves,
monasteries and tombs, belonging to the Christians. Here
God has wrought many miracles through these saints, and
to this day very many incorrupt bodies of saints, whose
names God alone knows/ are found in divers places in the
caves and grottos. Also near this road is the place where
was the pit into which Joseph was cast by his brethren,
and sold to the Ishmaelites. After seeing these and many
other sights, one arrives at Jerusalem, and the distance
between the two places is only three of the short miles of
the country.

XXXVIII.— The Holy City Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, the holy city, wherein our redemption was
wrought, stands on a mount in a wholesome air. It is
well fenced on the north side by walls, towers, and out-
works, on the east by the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and on
the south and west by other deep valleys ; but it lacks
water within the walls, and its cisterns are filled by water
which is brought from Hebron by underground aqueducts
and channels, which may clearly be seen by the side of
that road as one journeys along it. This glorious city is

^ Dr. F.J. Bliss tells us that the Armenian inscription on the mosaic
pavement found at Jerusalem in June, 1894, is to the effect that the
place was in memory of the salvation of all those Armenians whose
name the Lord knows (Quarterly Statement, P.E.F., October, 1894).

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM\S

not over-long or over-wide, neither is it too great or too
small, but it is tolerably well built, and has been some-
what removed to the east of where it stood at the time of
Christ's crucifixion, by Aelius Hadrianus, after its destruc-
tion by Titus and Vespasian, to show honour to the place
of Calvary. In Jerusalem stand the Lord's Temple and
Solomon's Temple, and they alone take up a great part of
the city. The Saracens suffer no Christian to enter this
temple, and if they do enter they must either die or
renounce their faith. This came to pass in my time, for
some Greeks got in and trampled upon the Saracens'
books. As they refused to renounce their faith, they were
cut in two. The Lord's Temple is round, built in the
Greek fashion, very tall and large, roofed with lead, and
made of great hewn and polished stones. Upon its pin-
nacle the Saracens have after their fashion placed a
crescent moon. This temple also has a great fore-court,
which is not roofed in, but well paved and adorned with
white marble. Near this temple, on the right hand, there
is an oblong church with a lead roof, which is called
Solomon's Porch. The Saracens pay the greatest rever-
ence to the Lord's Temple, keeping it exceeding clean
both within and without, and all alike entering it unshod.
They call it ' the holy Rock,' not ' the Temple,' and
therefore they say to one another, * Let us go to the holy
Rock.' They do not say, ' Let us go to the Temple.'
They call the temple 'the holy Rock' because of a little
rock which stands in the midst of the temple, fenced
about with an iron railing. I have heard it said of a
truth by Saracen renegades that no Saracen presumes
to touch that rock, and that Saracens journey from
distant lands to devoutly visit it. Indeed, God has
deigned to show respect to this rock in divers ways, and
has wrought many miracles thereon, as the Bible bears

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

witness to us both in the Old and New Testament. First
of all, it was upon this rock that Melchisedech, the first
priest, offered bread and wine. Also it was upon this
rock that Jacob slept and saw God's glory, and a ladder
standing upon this rock, whose top reached to heaven, and
the angels of God ascending and descending the same.
Also it was upon this rock that David saw the angel
standing with a bloody sword in his hand, and stayino"
from the slaughter of the people.^ It was upon this rock
that the priests used to lay the burnt sacrifices, which often
were consumed by fire from heaven. It was within this
rock that Jeremiah the prophet is believed to have
miraculously enclosed the Ark of the Covenant when the
people were removed to Babylon, saying, ' As for that
place, it shall be unknown until the time that God gather
His people together again, and receive them unto mercy,'-
and therein it is believed to have remained even to this
day. Upon this rock Christ was presented when a child,
and was given into the arms of the Just Simeon and
was received by him. It was upon this rock that Christ
disputed with the Jews when He was a boy of twelve years
of age, and His parents lost Him ; from this rock He
often taught the people and often preached. The Lord's
Temple, we read, was built by Solomon on the threshing-
floor of Oman, and albeit it has been destroyed by many,
yet it has always been rebuilt on the same spot, in the
same form, and with the same stones. God, moreover, has
greatly honoured and glorified this Temple, and greatly
loved it. It was from this Temple that Solomon saw
^ 2 Sam. xxiv. i6 ; 2 Chron. iii. i,

~ 2 Mace. ii. 5, 6 ; but we are told in verse 4 that the prophet took
the ark ' to the mountain where Moses climbed up and saw the
heritage of God.' And Fabri, vol. ii., 182, 233, points out the place in
the valley of 'Galmoab' (Vulgate), 'a valley in the land of Moab,
over against Bethpeor,' Deut. xxxiv. 6 (A.V.).

BOO LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

smoke going up and the glory of God abiding over it. In
this Temple Joseph's rod flowered. In this Temple the
Blessed Virgin Mary was presented, and made her offering
after her betrothal. In this temple Christ was presented,
and was set upon its pinnacle/ and tempted by the (evil)
spirit. Out of this Temple also Christ cast those who
bought and sold ; He often taught and disputed therein,
and wrought many miracles, as is testified by the Gospels.
Christ also consecrated this Temple by His glorious
presence, and therein in our weakness He suffered much
abuse and much ill-usage at the hands of the Jews. It
was from this Temple that St. James the Less, our Lord's
brother, was cast down and martyred. Near this Temple,
on the left hand thereof, is the ancient Golden Gate,
through which on Palm Sunday Jesus entered riding upon
an ass. To this gate on every Palm Sunday, even to this
day, a solemn procession of Christians is made before sun-
rise, and over this gate boys sing Gloria, laus, etc. Then
the Archbishop of the Armenians enters the gate on an
ass, and is welcomed by the boys and the people even as
Christ was there welcomed by the Jews. A little way to
the north of this Temple there is a church on the spot
where the Blessed Virgin Mary was born, and on that
same spot St. Anne and Joachim her husband lie buried in
an underground cave. In front of this church stands the
sheep-pool, having five porticos round about it, wherein
the sick used to be healed when the waters were troubled
by an angel, as the Gospel bears witness. At this day
there is a cave there, wherein when it rains all the water
from the city collects together. Out of this Church of St.
Mary the Saracens have now made a church of their own.
Yet all the story of Anna and Joachim and the Blessed
Mary's birth remains to this day right nobly painted on
' .See my note to Anon., p. 66.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOEY EAND. loi

the front of the church. This painting in my time used to
be all devoutly and religiously explained to Christians by
an old Saracen woman named Baguta. She used to dwell
over against the church, and declared that the picture of
Joachim stood for Mahomet, and the painting of the
trees for paradise, wherein Mahomet kissed girls, and
she referred the whole of the painting to Mohammed, and
set it forth with fervour, and would tell many more and
more wondrous stories about Mahomet with tears in her
eyes. Not far from the Lord's Temple, on the south side?
below the city, is the hill of Sion, which is a little highej
than the rest of the ground whereon the city stands, k
was on this mount that of old stood the city of Dav0,
whereof the Scripture makes mention. Upon this Moi/nt
Sion, or in this city of David, there once was built /an
exceeding fair monastery called the Convent of St. lyary
on Mount Sion, wherein were canons regular. Wjthin
this monastery were enclosed all the following holy pl^ces.^
First of all in this place Christ supped with His disciples
and celebrated the first Easter, made His testamerit and
revealed His betrayer, while the beloved disciple lav upon
His breast and drank in the secrets of heaven, /ilso in
this same place Christ humbly washed His discip^ies' feet
and dried them with a napkin, and, though He Was their
Lord and Master, gave them an example of humility.
Christ also frequently visited this place while in the flesh,
and it was here that after His death and resurrection He
appeared to His disciples as they sat with closed doors,
and was seen there once again ; there Thom-as the un-
believing thrust his fingers into His side. H^ere also the
Blessed Mary and the disciples were sitting gVieving, with
the doors closed for fear of the Jews, when ':hey received
the Holy Ghost the Comforter. Here a^-iso after the
* Fabri, i. 289 et seq.

I02

LVDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

Lord's Passion the Blessed Mary often dwelt ; in this
place she rendered up her spirit to her Son, and here all
the disciples were miraculously assembled. In this place
also St. Matthias \vas wondrously chosen an Apostle.
Here also the beloved disciple often celebrated Mass with
the Blessed Mary, and dwelt here with St. Mary and
St. Luke until the Blessed Mary's death. Here also St.
Stephen was buried between Nicodemus and Abybos. In
this place also David and Solomon and the other kings of
Judah are buried, and their sepulchres may be seen at
this day. In this monastery there now dwell Minorite
brethren, who in my time were amply furnished with
necessaries by Queen Sancea, the wUe of King Robert,^
and there they publicly and devoutly hold Divine service,
except that they are not allowed to preach publicly to
Saracens, and they bury their dead without the know-
ledge of the officers of the city. These brethren were in
my time exceeding prosperous men. Foreign merchants,
and even Saracens, praised them much, for they did good
offices to all men.

At the foot of this mount there stands an exceeding
strong castle, called David's Castle, which is believed to
have remained standing from the time of David, for when
the cit}^ was destroyed by Titus and Vespasian, the
Mount Sion and this castle stood without the city. This
castle was once held by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, but
now is iniiabited by an officer of the Soldan, and is most
carefully '^^uarded by him and his mercenaries. At the
foot of this mount there is also a church called St. Saviour's,
wherein is the stone which the angel rolled away from the

' This Kingi, according to Dr. F. Deycks, must have been either
Charles Robert, of Anjou, King of Hungary, or Robert Bruce, King of
Scotland. I think that, after reading Fabri's account (ii. 379) of the
Minorite conven t on Mount Sion, one is inclined to think that Ludolph
meant Rupert, King of Apulia, Calabria, Sicily, and Jerusalem.

DESCRIPTIOX OF THE HOLY LAXD.

sepulchre, which is there publicly shown. Near this mount

also St. James the Great was beheaded, and over the spot
a church has been built, wherein now is the Archbishop of
the Armenians and canons of the Roman obedience. Also
in Jerusalem there is another church called St. Mary the
Latin. In Jerusalem, moreover, there are many churches
of schismatics and heretics, and very many other holy
places and gracious oratories. Above the Mount Calvary
and Christ's sepulchre a great and fair church has been
built, nobly decorated with marble, mosaic work, paintings,
and other ornaments. It has towers in front of the choir
and above the same, and it is open above the place oi
Christ's sepulchre. The inside of this church is very muc\i
like the cathedral of Munster in Westphalia, especially m
the choir. In this church, near the choir, on the south si<ie,
is Mount Calvary, where Jesus was crucified. One ascends
this mount at the present day by some stairs within the
church, and once one used also to ascend thither by .'ome
stairs outside the church, but this door has now been
blocked up on the outside. This mount is formed of
exceeding hard rock, and beneath the mount is the chapel
of the Nubians, cut out of the solid rock. On the top of
Mount Calvary also there is a chapel, to which one ascends
from within the church, and in the place where Jesus was
crucified there is the hole in which the cross w?s placed,
and the rending of the solid rock which came to pass at
the time of Christ's Passion may still be plainly seen.
Also in this same chapel are buried those right glorious
princes, Godfrey, Duke of Bouillon, and Bildwin, his
brother, the first Christian Kings of Jerusalem, who won
the Holy Land with exceeding great toil, and puissantly
recovered and held the same, wrought the Saracens in-
estimable hurt, and bestowed the greatest boons upon
Christendom. It is a great wonder that the Saracens

I04

suffer their sepulchres and bodies to rest undisturbed in
such honour, seeing how much harm they did them, and
how they even took away from them the whole of the
Holy Land ; for in Lombardy, when Christians quarrel,
they cast one another's rotten corpses to the dogs. These
same glorious princes made a rule that no King of
Jerusalem should wear a golden crown, but a crown of
thorns, which rule their successors observe even to this
day. On this Mount Calvary the story of Christ's Passion
is read every day, when any Christians are dwelling there,
as I have clearly read in their service-book. Near Mount
^Calvary, where now there is a cupboard, is the place where
IHis mother and the disciples and the other women stood,
a»nd there Jesus commended his mother to the care of His
disciple, saying, * Woman, behold thy son.' In front of
the door of the choir, on the south side, there is a black
stor.\e, which is the place whereon they laid Jesus's body
whe;n they took Him down from the cross and wrapped
Him in linen cloths. In front of the choir, on the west
side, istands a small double chapel which has as it were
three vdoors, and wherein three altars seem to have stood.
From this first chapel one goes into another chapel,
wherein is Christ's sepulchre, through a low and small
doorvv^ay, arched semicircularly, and made so that one
must en,ter it with a bent back. This chapel is semi-
circularly vaulted ; it has no window, and in it is Christ's
sepulchre. The length of this chapel and sepulchre is
about nino palms, the width of the chapel about seven
palms, and the height of the chapel about twelve palms.
Christ's sepulchre^ is cut out of the solid rock, but lest it

' Wilhelm von Boldinsel observes (chap, vii.) that ' Monumentum
Christ! excisum erat in petra viva , . . ibtud vero ex pluribus est
compositum et de novo conglutinatum cemento minus artificialiter et
minus quam dece t ordinate.'

I03

should be defiled or carried away by pilgrims, it is covered
with other stones of white marble. The stone which covers
it on the front side has three holes pierced through it, and
through those holes one can kiss the true sepulchre and
the true stone thereof. This stone wherewith the sepulchre
is cased is so cunningly joined on to the sepulchre, that to
the ignorant it seems to be all one stone. For this reason
I do not believe that there is in any church a piece of the
true stone of Christ's sepulchre ; for with the exception of
those places whereof you have heard, it is and ever has
been kept most carefully guarded. Indeed, if Christ's
sepulchre could be carried away in grains of sand, it would
have been so carried away long ago, even had it been a great
mountain, so that scarce one grain of sand would have
remained on the spot. Now, as for the lamps and candle-
sticks which are said to be round about the holy sepulchre,
I declare that there is no lamp or candlestick whatever
round about the sepulchre ; but there dwell in the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre ancient Georgians who have the
key of the chapel of the holy sepulchre, and food, alms,
candles, and oil for lamps to burn round about the holy
sepulchre are given them by pilgrims through a little
window in the .south door of the church, and if this
should fail it remains without any light whatsoever, and is
altogether without honour and respect, for the Saracens
have as much respect for Christ's sepulchre as Christians
have for a Jewish synagogue. In this church also, in front
of the choir, a little way to the southward, there is the
place where the three Maries stood and said to one
another, * Who shall roll away the stone for us from the
mouth of the sepulchre ^ Also in this same church stands
one part of the pillar to which Jesus was bound and
scourged ; the other part is at Constantinople.

In this church also one goes down forty steps to t^

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEAPS

place where the three crosses were found, and in this
lower part, in the chapel, stands the episcopal chair of
James the Less, wherein he used to sit as Bishop of
Jerusalem. In this church also stand the pillars which at
the time of Christ's Passion stood in Pilate's house, which
pillars from that time to this present have never ceased to
sweat forth water. Furthermore, in this church there is
the place where the dead man was laid upon Christ's cross,
and was raised up to life. In this church also is the place
where Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalen in the likeness
of a gardener. All these holy places are enclosed within
this church, and the church is like a palace prepared for
the various needs of pilgrims and of those who are locked
up therein ; for pilgrims who visit it are locked up therein
from the first hour of one day till the same hour of the
following day, and can inspect everything to their hearts'
content. Twice a year — that is to say, from Good Friday
to Monday after Easter, and from the Eve of the Invention
of the Holy Cross till the morrow of the feast — the
Christians who dwell there are let into the church for
nothing, and locked in, and then one finds shops in the
church where sundry things and victuals are sold, even as
in this country they do in markets and fairs, and then
one hears talk and songs in divers tongues. Each several
nation has its own special place for holding Divine service
according to its own rite, of whom the Latins have the
place where Christ appeared to Mary Magdalen in the
likeness of a gardener. Near the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre once dwelt the brethren of St. John of
Jerusalem, and their palace is now the common hospital
for pilgrims. This hospital is so great that one thousand
men can easily live therein, and can have everything that
hey want there by paying for it. It is the custom in this
^lace, or hospital, that every pilgrim should pay two

DESCRIPTIOX OF THE HOLY LAXD.

107

Venetian pennies^ for the use of the hospital. If he
sojourns therein for a year he pays no more, if he abides
but for one day he pays no less. In my time there dwelt in
this palace, or hospital, a matron named Margaret of Sicily,
who had a brother a canon of the holy sepulchre, named
Nicholas. This Margaret was of great use and service
there, and to my certain knowledge suffered much misery
and trouble for love of the Christians, and was always
viewed by the Soldan with especial favour because of her
usefulness.- You must know that canons of the holy
sepulchre have great prerogatives and privileges, as I have
read in their service-book, and they begin (the service for) all
the hours of the day with A//e/um,^ as we do when we say
In adjutorium, etc., as though they were men to whom the
whole world bore witness from afar. They read all the
chief matters in the Gospel with gesticulation ; for instance,
the deacon reads the Gospel on Easter Day as follows •}
' At that time Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of
James, and Salome, brought spices, that they might come
hither and anoint Jesus.' And when he comes to the
words, * He is not here. He is risen,' then the deacon points
with his finger to Christ's sepulchre, and so in other cases.
In front of the church, on the west side, there is the stone
whereon Jesus rested awhile when bearing His cross, when
His strength failed Him because of His tortures and the
weight of the cross ; and there the Jews compelled Simon
of Cyrene, who was coming from his village, to bear the
cross. Near the church, a little way to the south, is the
stone whereon Jesus stood when He said, ' Ye daughters
of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but for yourselves,' etc.

^ Denarii. Fabri (i. 395) says ' two Venetian marks.'

2 The ordinary text has fidclitatem. I prefer to read utilitatcm^
with the Berlin MS. marked ' B ' by Dr. F. Deycks.

3 John of Wurzburg, chap. xii.

4 Matt, xxvii. 56; Mark xv. 40; Luke xxiv. i-io; John xix. 40.
See ' Marino Sanuto,' III., vii. 2.

io8

LUDOLPH VON SUC HEM'S

The pavement of the house of Pilate may be seen in
Jerusalem to this day ; but it was then without the city,
and the house of Caiaphas, wherein they took counsel, and
he prophesied, saying, * It is expedient that one man
should die for the people,' is three of the miles of that
country distant from Jerusalem. Moreover, in Jerusalem
there are to be seen very many other wonders and holy
places, about each one of which it would take long to tell
you. Going onward from Jerusalem, one comes to a city,
once fair, but now deserted, which stands in the hill country
of Judaea, and is called Zacharia. It is five miles distant
from Jerusalem. It was in this city that Zachariah and
Elizabeth, the parents of St. John the Baptist, dwelt, and
to it the Blessed Mary came from Nazareth after the
annunciation by the word of Gabriel, when Elizabeth met
her and the babe leaped in her womb, and the Blessed
Mary said, ' My soul doth magnify the Lord,' etc. On the
place where they met and embraced one another, an
exceeding fair church has been built, which is called
Magnificat to this day. This place is distant from
Nazareth three and a half days' journey of the short
journeys which our Lord's mother then made, as the
Gospel tells us,^ ' Mary arose with haste and went into the
hill country of Judaea.' In this city also St. John the
Baptist was conceived and born. As one returns from this
city of Zacharia one sees the place where (the wood of)
Christ's cross is believed to have grown moreover, by
the roadside one sees many tombs of the saints, hermi-
tages, caves, and grottos, wherein to this day are found
many incorrupt and entire bodies of saints, whose names
God alone knows. As one comes back to Jerusalem this

' Luke i. 39.

" Wilhelm von Boldinsel (chap, viii) mentions this place, and says
that there was a fair church, and a convent of Georgian monks.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND. 109

way, there is the place without the North Gate where the

first martyr, St. Stephen, was stoned. Here a fair church
seems to have stood, which now is overthrown, and it
stands above the Valley of Jehoshaphat. In the Valley of
Jehoshaphat there is a holy but not very beautiful church^
built in honour of the Blessed Mary, into which one goes
down sixty steps and comes to the Blessed Mary's
sepulchre, which is adorned with more and better lamps
and candles than Christ's sepulchre. The place where the
sepulchre stands is not larger than what eight men can con-
veniently stand in, and the sepulchre of Christ and that of
the Blessed Mary are both shaped alike. The place where
this church stands was at the time of Christ's Passion the
house of Annas, the Chief Priest, and it was there that
Peter denied Christ. On the spot where he denied Him
there stands a marble pillar for an everlasting memorial.
It is believed that on the last day Christ will come to this
valley as a strict Judge, and will reward every man accord-
ing to his works. Through this same valley runs the
brook Cedron, being the moisture and rain-water which
comes from the hills on either side thereof. Near this
brook, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, is the garden
wherein Jesus was taken and was betrayed by Judas with
a kiss. God when in the flesh often visited this garden
with His disciples. A fair church stands at the place
where Christ was taken, but nowadays the Saracens shut
up their flocks and beasts to feed therein. A little way
from the garden, to the left, beneath a rock, is the place
where Christ prayed to the Father, saying, * Father, if it
be possible, let this cup pass from Me,' and in His fear He
in His human weakness sweated blood. At the foot of

^ ' Ecclesia devota sed non multum pulchra.' — Ludolph. ' Haec
ecclesia non est pulchra, sed devota.' — W. von Boldinsel. The order
in which these two writers describe the holy places agrees exactly.

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

the mountain opposite, whereon Jerusalem is built, are the
bathing-pools of Siloam, and now there is a collection of
putrid water. Over against the bathing -pool stands
Absalom's statue, cunningly wrought, and of wondrous
size.i Above the Valley of Jehoshaphat, to the south, is
the potter's field, or Aceldama, also called the Field of
Blood, which was bought with the price of blood to bury
strangers in. But a certain Eastern history declares that
only the worth of fifteen pennies was bought, which,
indeed, may well be believed, because it does not take up
the third part of the field.

XXXIX. — Of the Thirty Pieces of Silver.

We read in a history of those kings of the East who
offered gifts to our Lord, that Terah, Abraham's father,
made money, or pennies, at the bidding of a King of
Mesopotamia named Ninus, and that he received thirty
pieces of silver for his pay. These pieces of silver he gave
to Abraham, who spent them during his wanderings in
exile, and these same pieces of silver passed through
divers hands until they came into the hands of the
Ishmaelites, and with them Joseph was bought from his
brethren. Afterwards, when Joseph bore rule in Egypt,
these same pieces of silver came back into Joseph's hands
from his brethren as the price of corn, and when they
were restored to his brethren, his brethren gave them to
Joseph's steward, who sent them to Sheba to buy mer-
chandise for Pharaoh. Now, in Solomon's time, when the
Queen of Sheba came from the East to hear his wisdom,
she offered these thirty pieces of silver in the temple. In

' \V. von lioldinsel mentions Siloam, but does not call the water
putrid, and mentions Absalom's 'statue ' in the same words as in the
text, except that he says that it is boiiae inagniittdinis, whereas Ludolph
says ini'rae viagniiiidijiis.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND. iii

the time of Rehoboam, when Nebuchadnezzar despoiled
the temple and took away its treasure, he gave the thirty
pieces of silver with other treasure to the King of Godolia,
who was with him in his army, and so they remained with
other treasures in the treasury of the Kings of Godolia
until Christ's birth. At that time the kingdom of
Godolia was removed to Nubia. Now, when our Lord
was born, Melchior, the King of Nubia, saw in the star that
Christ was born of a virgin. He therefore took the thirty
pennies, because he could find no more noble or ancient
gold in his treasury, and by God's will offered them to
Christ. Afterwards the Blessed Virgin Mary, when fleeing
into Egypt through fear of Herod, lost the thirty pennies,
together with the rest of the presents of the Magi, at the
place where the Garden of Balsam now is. A shepherd
found them and kept them for thirty years. Then the
fame of Jesus being noised abroad, this same shepherd
came to Jerusalem, where Jesus healed his sickness. When
Christ was preaching and teaching in the temple the
shepherd offered Him the thirty pennies and the other
presents of the Magi, but Jesus refused them, and bade
him offer the pennies in the temple, and lay the other
gifts upon the altar. The shepherd did so, and the Jews
cast the thirty pennies into cordan, and afterwards gave
them to Judas for betraying Jesus.^ Then when Judas
brought them back again, they bought the potter's field
for fifteen pennies, and gave the other fifteen to the

^ John of Hildesheim, though his account is substantially the
same, is somewhat more diffuse. For instance, at this point he
explains that when the shepherd offered the gifts, the priest burned
the frankincense on the altar, but put the gold and myrrh into the
treasury. Probably John's was the 'long rambling story 'alluded to
by Fabri (i. 537). See Quarterly Review^ October, 1846, art. ' Cologne
Cathedral': Theodericb, chap, xxxix., p. 59. Another version of the
legend makes the thirty pieces to have been struck at Capernaum.
.See ' The Condition of Jerusalem,' in this series, part ii., p. 31.

112

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

soldiers who were guarding Christ's sepulchre; and when
that had been done with the pennies which had been pre-
destined, they straightway were divided and scattered
hither and thither. But until that was done which it was
fated should be done by them, they always kept together,
as you have heard. The Scripture calls them silver
pennies, because in old times they called all metal silver;^
but there is no doubt but what they were of gold. The
neld of blood is not large,^ as I have told you, but has an
exceeding deep pit dug in it, with a vaulted roof above it.
This vault is pierced with round holes, through which holes
dead bodies are cast into it, and after three days nothing
of them is found save bones. Were it not so, such a little
place would not be sufficient to contain so many dead
bodies. Near this field there is an exceeding pleasant
place with beauteous trees, which the preaching friars^
(Dominicans) were trying to buy when I was leaving ; but
I know not whether they got it. Near it also there are
very many hermitages of saints, cells, and oratories full of
grace, which now are deserted. Likewise near it is the
cave wherein Peter hid himself after he had denied Christ,
and wept bitterly. Not far from this cave is the place
where Judas hanged himself in despair.

XL.— The Mount of Olives.

Near Jerusalem, toward the east, is the Mount of Olives,
which now is called the Mount of Lights, a very pleasant
place, with only the Valley of Jehoshaphat between it and
Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives is so much higher than
the city, that all within the city can be seen from its top,
and it is called the Mount of Olives because many olives

1 John of Hildesheim tells this part in the same words.

2 ' Vix ad semijactum lapidis,' says John of Hildesheim.

3 Fabri, i. 535 ; ii. 380.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

grow thereon ; it is also called the Mount of Lights/ be-
cause by night the lights of the Lord's Temple shine over
against it. The two eastern gates of Jerusalem leading
to the mount are always shut, because the Valley of
Jehoshaphat between the city and the mount is so steep
that a man could scarce climb up and down on his hands
and feet, and that one gate is now called the Golden Gate.
On the Mount of Olives stands a fair church called
St. Saviour's, on the place where forty days after His
Passion Christ ascended meekly to His Father, and where
the angels said that He should come again as a strict
Judge. The mark of Christ's footsteps may be seen on
the pavement of that church even to this day, and we
read that when the Christians were first building and
paving that church, whenever they came to the place
where Christ's footprints were, and laid stones thereon, the
stones always sprung off again even as a man would step,
and so the footprints have remained to the present day. The
church is open, for the vault could never by any means be
made over the place through which Christ passed. On
the Mount of Olives there also stands another chapel on
the place where Christ said the Lord's Prayer and taught
it to His disciples, and that chapel is still called Pater-
noster. Once also upon this mount there stood another
chapel, now overthrown, at the place where Jesus saw the
city and wept over it. On this same mount there is a
small village^ named Galilee, often mentioned in Scripture,
wherein the disciples dwelt together. This is that Galilee
whereof we read, ' Go into Galilee; there will you see Him,
as He said to you'; and again, ' I will go before you into
Galilee ' (Matt. xxvi. 32). But there is another Galilee,
which is a great land, and is three days' journey distant,
as you shall be told hereafter. On this mount also there
^ Fabri, i. 495. ^ ^\^[^ j^ys^ tower called ' Viri Galilei.'

114

were many dwellings of saints, and hermitages, and gracious
oratories. Near the Mount of Olives is Bethphage, where
on Palm Sunday Christ mounted the ass to ride into
Jerusalem. A good rider He must have been, otherwise
one never could tell that a man on an ass could have
ridden down such a road, for this road comes down very
steep and narrow from the Mount of Olives. A short half-
mile from Bethany is Bethphage, once a very fair castle
standing on the hillside. In it are three churches, whereof
one stands on the place where Lazarus was raised from
the dead, and his sepulchre is still to be seen there. The
sepulchres of Christ, of the Blessed Mary, and of Lazarus
are all shaped alike. The second church stands in the
place where once was the house of Simon the leper, where
Christ was asked to dinner, and the blessed Mary Magdalen
came and anointed the head and the feet of Jesus, washed
them with her tears, and wiped them with her hair, as the
Scripture bears witness. The third church is made out of
Martha's palace, wherein God in our weakness, when
hungry and thirsty, naked and weary, was often received
as a guest by Martha, refreshed, and entertained when
homeless.

The Saracens who dwell there now shut up their oxen
and beasts of burden in these churches. In this place
Solomon set up his idol Moloch.^

XLL— The Desert ; Jericho ; Sodom and

GOMORRHA.

From Bethany one reaches the Jordan in one day,
crossing a little wilderness called Montost.^ In this wilder-

» I Kings xi. 7.

2 I do not understand this word. Wilhelm von Boldinsel says
(chap, viii.) : ' De hoc loco [Bethany] parva diaeta est in Jordanenn,
deserto quodam montoso medio existente,' etc. John of Hildesheim

DESCRIPTIOX OF THE HOLY T.AMJ. us

ness St. John the Baptist taught, and ate locusts and wild
lioney in the same. In this wilderness also a certain man
fell among thieves as he was going down from Jerusalem
to Jericho, as the Scripture tells us. At the end of this
wilderness is the mount which is called Quarentana,
whereon Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights, and
was an hungered, and here the devil tempted Him to
make bread of stones. Halfway up the mount a fair
hermitage has been hewn out of the rock wherein Christ
fasted, and wherein Georgian monks now dwell. In my
time the King of Gazara^ caused the road to be broken, so
that the monks could not get down nor pilgrims get up,
but when the Soldan heard of this he had the road well
repaired, and granted leave to the monks to dwell there
for ever. On the top of this mount stands a fair church
in the place where Jesus was tempted of the devil. It is
of this wilderness that we read, 'Jesus was led up. of the
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.'-
Near this mount, toward the plain of Jordan, there is a
fountain and an exceeding fair orchard, where Abraham
dwelt when he came from Chaldaea,and built an altar there
and called upon the name of the Lord. This place is
called Abraham's Garden^ to this day. After passing these
places one comes into Jericho, once a royal and famous
city, now brought down to a small village, but standing in
an exceeding beauteous and fertile spot in the Valley of
the Jordan. This is the Jericho* whose walls God cast
down by a miracle, and gave it to Joshua, with a curse on
him who should rebuild it. To this Jericho belonged

says (chap, xlii.) : ' Et inter Jordanum et Jerusalem est quedam pars
deserti que ibidem Mentost vocatur, et in ipso deserto Johannes Baptista
habitavit et penitenciam predicavit,' etc. Al. Montoft, Moncost.

^ Fabri (ii. 56) copies this story ; but in his day the place was
deserted.

^ Matt. iv. I. 3 Theoderich, chap, xxviii. 4 Josh. vi. 26.

ii6 LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

Rahab the harlot and Zacchaeus^ who was Httle of stature.
It was the boys of this Jericho who mocked Elisha^ the
prophet, saying, ' Go up, thou bald head ! go up, thou bald
head !' and were devoured by two bears to avenge him, to
all of which things the Scripture bears witness. Near
Jericho is the place where Jesus lightened the eyes of the
blind man as He passed by. Near Jericho there runs the
brook which the prophet Elisha^ made sweet, which before
was bitter. Three short miles from Jericho is the Dead
Sea, which is about eighty miles of this country long,
where stood the great cities of Sodom and Gomorrha,
Seboim and Adana, and all the places within them and
near them, all of which cities, villages, castles, and
fortresses God overwhelmed because of their detestable
sins. No creature can use the water of this sea for any
purpose whatever, and it has a most unbearable and evil
stench, wherefore when the wind blows it poisons all the
country round about. In storms it casts up many beau-
teous pebbles, but if anyone picks them up his hand will
stink for three days so foully that he will not be able to
bear himself. Some say that a man cannot sink therein.
Of this I know nothing save what has been told me, and
perchance no one has ever tried it. But I have heard
from the people of those parts that in some parts of the
sea one can find the bottom, and in some not. But as
for the buildings which stood there before the great de-
struction, no traces of them can be seen ; indeed, a man
can scarce approach it because of its vile and intolerable
stench. Yet all the country round about is full of trees
and great fruits,* exceeding fair to see ; but when these

^ Luke xix. 3. ^ 2 Kings ii. 23. It was not at Jericho, but at Bethel.

3 2 Kings ii. 20.

4 Dead Sea fruit. Tac, 'Hist,,' v. 7; Josephus, ' De Bell. Jud.,'
iv. 8 ; August., ' De Civ. Dei,' book xxi., chap. v. Compare Robinson's
' Palestine,' vol. ii,, p. 472.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

117

fruits are plucked and broken open, they are full of dust
and ashes within, and for three days the hands of him
who plucked them cannot be rid of a vile stench ; for even
all the country round about it is full of God's curse. In
this country the serpent called tj/r?is is found and taken,
whence what is called tyriac (treacle)^ gets its name, for it
is chiefly made thereof. This is a serpent not half an ell
long, as thick as a man's finger, of a yellow colour mixed
with red, and it is blind. No cure for its poison is known
except cutting off the bitten limb. When it is angry it
puts out its tongue like a flame of fire, and one would
think that it was fire indeed, save that it does not burn
the creature ; it sets up the hair on its face like an angry
boar, and its head at such times grows bigger. Were it
not blind, I believe that no man could escape from it, for
I have heard from those whose trade it is to catch these
serpents, that if they bit a man's horse, they would kill
the rider.2 Near the Dead Sea, on the right hand toward
the mountains of Israel, on a little hill, stands Lot's wife,
turned into a pillar of salt. At this place in my time
there were Templars, who had been made prisoners at the
fall of Acre, who sawed wood here and there in the moun-
tains for the Soldan's service, and did not know that the

^ Qr^piaKfj. Cf. Fabri, i. 537. See ' Carpenlier's Glossary,' arts.
Thiriaca and Triaculiim. Liitre gives the etymology of ' theriaque ':
'' Qq.'c\^v . theriacle ; Vvo\%r\(;. tiriaca^ iriacla ; Catal. triaga j Espagn.
teriaca, triacaj Ital. teriaca ; du Lat. theriaca^ qui vient du Grec
Or]pLaK7], sous-entendu di/rtSoTo?.' Under OyjpiaK'q Liddell and Scott
quotes Alexander of Tralles, v., p. 244, Galen, and Nicander's po-m
on such antidotes. Under the word 'Treacle,' Bailey's Dictionary
gives ' {Jrmc/e, Fr., triakel, Y)\y.,theriaca, L., OyjptaKy), Gr., of dqpiov,
Gr., a viper], a physical Composition made of Vipers and other In-
gredients.' See Vincent of Beauvais's ' Speculum Naturale,' book xx.,
chap xlvi.

2 The story is to be found in John of Hildesheim, chap, xlii., as are
also the stories about the Dead Sea fruit, ' Jor,' and ' Dan,' and St.
John's arm at the monastery by the Jordan.

ii8

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

Order of the Templars had been suppressed ;^ for they
worked here and there in the mountains, and had seen no
man from this side of the sea since they had been taken
prisoners. These men strongly dissuaded us from riding
further along the shore of the Dead Sea, if we did not wish
to lose our lives through its stench ; but they showed us the
statue of Lot's wife, which we could see plainly a long way
off. Within the year the Soldan set these men free,
together with their wives and children, in answer to some-
one's intreaties, and they came to the Court of our Lord
(the Pope), and were sent with honour to their homes ; one
of them was a Burgundian, the other came from Thou-
louse. Not far from the statue of Lot's wife stood the
city of Zoar, which by Lot's prayer was saved from
destruction. Beyond the Dead Sea, toward the east, is
the strongest castle^ in the world, which in Arabic is called
Arab ; in Chaldee, Schobach ; and in Latin, Montreal.
It is said that there is no castle in the world to compare
therewith, and it is girt about with three walls. Within
the first wall there is an exceeding lofty rock with three
springs running out of it, which water all the land round
about. Within the second wall there grows enough corn
to easily support all the people of the castle from one year
to another. Within the third wall there used to grow as
much wine, but the vines have been grubbed up. The
whole world cannot take these things, except the trees and
vines, away from the castle. This castle once belonged to

' In 1307 the Grand Master and all the Knights Templars in Paris
were arrested by order of Philip IV. (le Bel). Their trial dragged 011
for five years, at the end of which the Order was abolished.

2 The castle called Montreal or Petra by the Crusader-, was founded
by Baldwin I. in 11 15. I suppose th.it this is the place mentioned by
Fabri (ii. 402) under the name of 'the Mount Rama.' The fortress of
Kerak was on the east side of the Dead Sea, while Montreal stood at
ihe south end of it. Ludolph seems to have confused the two places.

119

the Christians, but their sins caused them most basely to
lose it by their own treachery. The Soldan now always
keeps his treasure in this castle, and his son and heir, and
to this castle he always flees for refuge in time of need.
At the foot of this castle is a village called Sabab, wherein
dwell more than six thousand Christians, earnestly looking
for the Redeemer of the Holy Land.

XLIL— Of the River Jordan.

From the Dead Sea one comes to the Jordan, which is a
river not ten paces wide. But albeit the Jordan is a small
river, yet it is exceeding deep and muddy ; it waxes and
shrinks according to the season, and sometimes is so
swollen with rain-water that it would float loaded ships.
It has a very muddy bottom, sweet water, and excellent
fish ; it rises about four days' journey to the north of the
Accursed Sea, at the foot of Mount Lebanon, from two
streams called Jor and Dan. Passing through Galilee, it
takes the names of both these rivers, and is called Jordan ;
but at the foot of Mount Carmel a brook runs out and
falls into Jor. Near the Dead Sea, two short miles up the
Jordan, is the place where Jesus was baptized by John ;
the place is called the Fords of the Jordan. Here Joshua
and the children of Israel passed over dryshod. Here also
the water of Jordan was divided at the bidding of Elijah
the prophet, and here also the water was divided when
Elisha struck it with Elijah's mantle. Near this place,
not far from the bank of the Jordan, a fair monastery has
been built in honour of John the Baptist, and is inhabited
by Greek monks, who declare that they possess St. John's
arm. This monastery has been removed a little way from
the river bank because the waters sometimes overflow.
All the Christians of the land, and even pilgrims from
far-off lands, gather together at this place on the day of

I20

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEAPS

the Lord's Epiphany, and all read there in Latin the
Gospel 'When Jesus was born in Bethlehem/^ etc., bless
the water, and baptize the cross. All who have any sick-
ness or disease then leap into the water, and most of them
are healed of their infirmities in the sight of all men. In
the Valley of the Jordan is the heap of foreskins,^ the place
of circumcision, the place of weeping, and the twelve
stones which the children of Israel took out of the bed
of the Jordan for a testimony. It was of these stones that
John the Baptist spoke, when he said, ' The Lord^ is able
of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.' This
valley is called the Valley of Achan, because therein
Achan was stoned because of the King's gold which he had
stolen. It was in this valley also that Elijah was carried
up to heaven in a chariot of fire. Not far — only two short
miles away — from the place where Jesus was baptized, the
Jordan enters the Dead or Accursed Sea, and is seen no
more, and it is a question in the East why such blessed
water should enter so accursed a place. Some say it is
that the curse of the one may be allayed by the blessing
of the other, others declare that it is swallowed up just at
the entrance, both of which may well be believed ; but to
me it seems more likely that it is drunk up by the earth,
for sometimes the rain-water running from all the hills round
about makes the Jordan so great that it would not be
possible for such a body of water to run into the sea
without making it overflow, and flood all the country
about it. The length of the river Jordan is, from its source
to its end, about five-and-twenty of this country's miles.
Beside the river Jordan there are very many monasteries
of Greeks and schismatics, and hermitages full of grace.
Every evening on the banks of this same river one may

' Matt. ii.

^ Deut. xxvii. 2 ; Josh. iv. 3-20 ; v. 2. 3 Matt. iii. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

121

see countless wild beasts, both great and small, drinking,
especially lions, foxes, roes, stags, hares, wild boars, and
the like, which walk among men like tame beasts. In my
time^ there used to be always a lion at one particular place,
on the further bank of the Jordan, who would watch people
passing by, wagging his tail like a dog, and did not run
away, neither did he hurt anyone by day or by night. At
last one of our archers,- wishing to frighten and anger him,
shot an arrow at him. The lion did not stir, but seemed
to pray towards the arrow ; but when the man shot
another, the lion reared up at it, as though he would catch
it with his mouth and paws. After this the lion was seen
no more in this place, but did much hurt both to men and
beasts of burden. Of other wild beasts there are so many
here that the country people drive them to market like
sheep. Not far from hence is the place called the hills'^ of
Jordan, where the children of Reuben and the children of
Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built *a great altar to
see to,' when they came into their possessions.

XLIIL— Of Ramatha, Shiloh, Emmaus, Sichar,
Samaria, and Galilee.

From the Jordan one comes in three days to Galilee,
Judaea, and Samaria. After seeing many sights, one
leaves Jerusalem on the left, and comes to the city of
Ramatha,^ once a fair city, and to this day tolerably well
peopled, standing on Mount Ephraim. In this city dwells
at this day the Cadi — that is, the Bishop of the Saracens —

1 Fabri (ii. 27) tells this story, which he had clearly read in Ludolph.
Compare Phocas, chap, xxiii.. p. 28.

2 Quidam Sagittarius ?toster.

3 A.V., ' the borders of Jordan R.V., ' the region of Jordan '
(Josh. xxii. 10).

4 ' Ramathaim-Zophim, of Mount Ephraim' (i Sam. i. i ; xxv. i ;
xxviii. 3).

122

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

and here we once had much trouble about some Christians
who had been taken prisoners there through their own
folly, before we set them free. The prophet Samuel was
born in this city, and buried in it. It was near this city
that Habakkuk^ the prophet was carrying the harvesters
their dinner, when he was caught up by the angel and
carried to Daniel in the lions' den at Babylon. Not far
from Ramatha was a once fair, but now deserted, city
named Arimathea, the birthplace of Joseph who buried
Christ. Near this place, three miles off, once stood a
famous city, which now is a small village, called Shiloh,
where the Ark of the Covenant stood, and the Hebrews
gathered together there to pray. Not far from Shiloh is
Emmaus, once a fair city, but now deserted, where Jesus
appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. This
city is now called Nicopolis.^ Near Nicopolis, on the
right hand, once stood two very famous cities, now de-
serted— to wit, Gibeon and Ajalon^ — where Joshua fought
against five kings, and at his bidding the sun lengthened
its course, until he overcame the enemies of Israel.
Moreover, not far from Shiloh, in the country of Samaria,
there once stood a fair city in a valley, which city
was called Sichar, and is now called Neapolis, and at
this day is all but deserted. It was here that Dinah,^
Jacob's daughter, was ravished, and avenged by his
sons. Near this road there once stood a fair little
church, now much ruined, wherein is Jacob's Well,'^ beside
which Christ, when sitting, weary with journeying in our
human frailty, asked the woman of Samaria for water to

' See Abbot Daniel in this series, p. 49. Odoricus de Foro-Julii
(ed. Laurent, 1864, p. 156) says: 'Extra muros Joppe est capella
Abacuc prophetae, ubi angelu^^,' etc. See also Fabri, i. 543, note ;
Poloner, p. 31, note.

= A mistake. See Raumer's ' Palestine,' p. 169.

3 Josh. X. 12. 4 Gen. xxxiv. 25. 5 John iv. 18.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND. 123

refresh Him, and said to her, * Thou hast had five
husband?,' as the Scripture tells us. It was near this well
that Jeroboam, King of Israel, made golden calves which
the children of Israel worshipped. Also in a field near
this place David slew Goliath, and very many other
notable places are to be seen along this road, whereof it
would take long to tell. Going on from Sichar, one comes
to Samaria, which once was the capital of the whole
country, wherefore all that land is called the country of
Samaria. This was once an exceeding fair, famous, royal,
and very great city, as its ruins bear witness, and in
situation is in all respects very like the city of Jerusalem.
The Kings of Israel once dwelt in this city. In this city
also St. John the Baptist was buried between the prophets
Elisha and Obadiah. This city, which of old was called
Samaria, was afterwards called Sebaste, and is now called
Yblim,^ from which the chief tribe of Christians in that
land are called ' of Yblin ' (szc) even to this day. They
were at first French knights, and on the recovery of the
Holy Land this city fell to their lot. When one has seen
the aforesaid sights at Samaria, one goes on over the
plains of Galilee, leaving the mountains behind. Galilee
is a province of the Promised Land, and is a noble
country, rich in plains, hills, pastures, grass, and other
good things, with exceeding fruitful and pleasant valleys.
On its plains and the slopes of its hills stand the following
cities — to wit, Nain, Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Cana of
Galilee ; but all these are now deserted, or all but de-
serted, and they do not look as if they had ever been of
much account. What things God in our flesh wrought
therein is written at large in the Gospels, and therefore I
do not care to repeat it. Near Nain is Mount Endor, at

^ 'At the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam' (2 Kings ix. 27).
See Anon. ^^I.. p. 58 ; and Fetellus, p. 32.

124

LUDOLPH VON SUCH EM'S

whose foot runs the brook Kishon. This land of Galilee
also has been illustrated and glorified by very many of
Christ's miracles. At the borders of Galilee are the moun-
tains of Gilboa, which are low hills, greatly abounding
with green herbs, grass, and pasture. It was on these
hills that Saul and Jonathan and the children of Israel
fell, and of them David said, ' Ye mountains of Gilboa, let
there be no dew or rain upon you.'^ Some say that no
dew or rain falls upon them, which is false, because one
can see that very many exceeding fair monasteries once
stood upon them, whose paintings show that they be-
longed to the order of the Cistercians, and to that of
St. Bene't. In the neighbourhood of the mountains of
Gilboa stood the city of Bethulia, wherein dwelt Judith,
who cut off the head of Holofernes hard by ; but the city
is now destroyed. After one has seen each of these
things, one leaves the plain of Galilee and comes to
Nazareth, which once was a famous city, and is a very fair
one to this day, standing in a flowery and beauteous vale,
girt about on all sides by mountains. It is not walled,
but its houses stand apart from one another ; yet it is well
peopled. In this city God deigned to announce through
Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary that He was made
man. In this city there has been built a great and fair
church, wherein, near the choir, there is a beauteous chapel
on the spot where God announced that He was made man
for our sake, where also the Blessed Virgin conceived God
and man. In this chapel there is a small pillar, against
which Gabriel stood when he announced Christ, and his
figure remains imprinted on the column, like the figure of
a seal on wax, even to this day. Behind the church there
is a fountain from which the Blessed Virgin was ever wont
to draw water, and near which she very often was spoken

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

125

to and comforted by angels. In my time the Saracens
had greatly blocked up this fountain out of spite against
Christians and pilgrims, but they never were able to stop
the flow of its water. The Saracens also desecrate this
holy and glorious church in divers ways, for they skin
dead animals, such as asses, camels, dogs, and oxen,
therein, and cast their carcases therein, so that one can
scarce visit these most holy places for the stench. There
dwell in Nazareth most evil Saracens, wicked and noble,
who are called Dehes ; they take scarcely any heed of the
Soldan, but to enter the city one needs their passport and
safe -conduct beyond everything else. One mile from
Nazareth there is a rock on a mountain, which is called
the Lord's Leap, where Jesus passed through the midst
of the Jews and went His way,^ when they would have cast
Him down it, as the Scripture and Gospel tell us. The
figure of Jesus may be seen to this day imprinted as
though on soft wax upon the rock through which He
passed. Going on from this place, one comes at mid-day
to Mount Tabor, which is a mount standing all by itself
on a plain. It is very high, but not wide, and is in all
ways very like the hill called Dezenberg,^ in the diocese of
Paderborn.

On the top of this mount Jesus Christ was transfigured,
and His face shone like the sun, in the presence of
Peter, John, and James, and there Moses and Elias
appeared talking with Him. On the place where He was
transfigured there once was built a noble and royal monas-

^ ' Ueber die herrliche Lage des Desenberg's, verg. Fiirstenberg,
Monum. Paderborn, s. 165 ff. — F. Deycks.

2 Transiens per medium illorum ibat. Luke iv. 30; John viii. 59 ;
X. 39. See Wright's note to Sir John Maundeville, chap. x. ' Early
Travels in Palestine,' Bohn's Series. The words appear on some
English coins, e.g.^ the ' Noble' of Henry V., and the ' Spur-Ryal ' of
Elizabeth.

126

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

tery of the Order of St. Bene't. Its Abbot used a leaden
bulla, like the Pope. I have seen many of these bullae.
You must know that in the lands beyond the sea the
Feast of the Lord's Transfiguration is very solemnly kept ;
it comes on the day of SS. Felix and Agapetus,^ and is
then celebrated with new wine. On that day all nobles
and citizens specially meet together at church ; they place
banners upon their churches, and watch with rejoicings all
night long. The Office of the Mass is, Do7ninus dixit ad
me Jilius, etc. Dies sanctificatus illuxit, etc. The Gospel
is, Assumpsit Jesus Petrum et Johannem, etc. The top of
this mount and the monastery has been occupied by the
Saracens, for it was once well fenced with walls and
towers. Now on the top it is all ruined and deserted ;
but the walls and towers remain for the most part. About
this mount one reads many other things, to which the
Scripture bears witness. At the foot of Mount Tabor is
an exceeding great and strong castle, named Blansagarda^
(Blanche Garde), which was built by the Christians to
defend the way up to the mount, for the mount was
always held by the Saracens. In those parts there is a
large and noble tribe of Christians, called ' of Blanche
Garde,' for this was their castle ; but where their parents
were born before the recovery of the Holy Land no man
knows, and I have often been asked by them whether there
were any people in my country who said that they had
relations in those parts, or who bore their arms on their
shields. From Mount Tabor one goes on to Mount
Hermon, which is a fair and pleasant mount, and comes

' Properly SS. Felicissimus and Agapetus, August 6.

2 A mistake. The castle of Blanche Garde was built by King
Fulk I. in 1 1 38 on Tell-es-Safieh, not far from Ascalon. It was also
called Alba Specula. It was destroyed in 1191 by Saladin, and
subsequently rebuilt. Compare Stanley's ' Sinai and Palestine,'
chap. vi.

DESCRIPTIOX OF THE HOLY LAND

into the spacious plains of Galilee, where Sisera and his
army fell. Thence one comes to the shores of the Sea of
Galilee, to the city of Synarcth,^ which was afterwards
called Tiberias, and is now called Tybaria. It stands by
the sea-shore, and is a poor place, and never was much
more ; but once it had a bishop for its noble lord, to whom
the greater part of the Sea of Galilee belonged. Near this
city there are natural hot baths, like those at Aachen in
ihis country. It seems that on the shores of the Sea of
Galilee there used to stand many other cities and villages,
though none of much account, wherein Christ's disciples and
other poor men and fishermen dwelt, and dwell to this day.
The Sea of Galilee or of Tiberias measures twenty miles
of this country in circuit, and hath abundance of sweet-
tasted and excellent fishes, and exceeding sweet water.
The river Jor runs into this sea on one side, and the river
Dan on the other f they may be seen passing through the
sea, and they come out of it in one stream, which then is
called the Jordan. Upon and near this sea, God in the
likeness of man wrought many miracles. It was from this
sea that Jesus called Peter and Andrew, and made them
Apostles. It was upon this sea that Christ walked dry-
shod, and caught Peter when he was beginning to sink.
It was on this sea that Jesus slept in the ship and stilled
the wind when the storm arose. Upon this sea Jesus
when in our mortal frailty often sailed, and illustrated it
with many miracles. It was beside this sea that Jesus
appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, and ate
the broiled fish and honeycomb. At this place there once
stood a fair church, w^hich now is destroyed. Near this
sea there is a mount. At its foot God fed five thousand

^ Num. xxxiv. 11 ; Luke v. i.

* ' This is a mistake, or a confusion of this sea with Lake Merom.' —
F. Deycks.

128

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

people with five loaves and two fishes, as the Gospel bears
witness. On the top of this mount, on the north side,
there is a lofty and exceeding strong castle, which, together
with its village, is called Japhet,i wherein in my time a
Jew from Westphalia dwelt with his wife. Not far from
this castle there once stood a fair city named Dan, but it is
now almost deserted. This is the other end of the
Promised Land, for the Promised Land reaches from Dan
to Beersheba from north to south, and is about twenty-five
miles long, and in width from Jericho to Joppa, from east
to west, it is about eleven miles of this country, as I have
heard from the Soldan's couriers, and from exceeding
trustworthy people of the country, who also described the
land. Not far from Dan, toward the north, is the once
fair city of Bolynas,^ now called Caesarea Philippi,
pleasantly situated at the foot of Mount Lebanon, but
scantily peopled. It was near it that Jesus asked His
disciples, 'Whom do men say the Son of man is?' as the
Gospel testifies.^ Not far from this city there is a spring
near the mountain, which divides Idumaea from Phoenicia ;
this spring is commonly called Sabbath, because it does
not flow on Saturdays. After you have seen all these
sights, you cross the Jordan at the place where it first
leaves Galilee. In this land beyond Jordan two tribes
and a half-tribe received their inheritance. Here also the
Jordan divides Galilee from Idumaea, and one goes on
and sees many villages and places not mentioned in
Scripture, and comes, if one chooses, to a village where
Job is buried. It was near this village that St. Paul was
cast down and converted, and it stands about one day's
journey distant from Damascus.

1 Japhia, fortified by Josephus, taken by Vespasian.

2 Belinas, the ancient Paneas. 3 Matt. xvi. 13.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND

129

XLIV.— The City of Damascus.

Going on from this village, one comes to Damascus.
Damascus is an exceeding ancient city, founded by
Damascus, Abraham's servant. It stands on the place
where Cain killed his brother Abel, and is an exceeding
noble, glorious, and beauteous city, rich in all manner of
merchandise, and everywhere delightful, but more by arti-
ficial than by natural loveliness, abounding in foods,
spices, precious stones, silk, pearls, cloth-of-gold, perfumes
from India, Tartary, Egypt, Syria, and places on our side
of the Mediterranean, and in all precious things that the
heart of man can conceive. It is begirt with gardens and
orchards, is watered both within and without by waters,
rivers, brooks, and fountains, cunningly arranged, to
minister to men's luxury, and is incredibly populous,
being inhabited by divers trades of most cunning and
noble workmen, mechanics, and merchants, while within
the walls it is adorned beyond belief by baths, by birds
that sing all the year round, and by pleasures, refresh-
ments, and amusements of all kinds. Each trade dwells
by itself in a particular street, and each workman, accord-
ing to his craft and his power, makes in front of his house
a wondrous show of his work, as cunningly, nobly, and
peculiarly wrought as he can, outdoing his neighbours if
possible, so that he adorns and decorates his house more
beautifully than I can tell you. The merchants do like-
wise with their merchandise, and all handicrafts are
wrought there wondrously well and with exceeding great
skill. But they sell everything very dear. Rich citizens
have all kinds of singing-birds and birdlets hanging in
front of their houses, such as nightingales, quails, larks,
francolins, and the like, and they sing wondrously and
equally well all the year round, but better in winter time

I30

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEAfS

than in the summer heat ; and you may hear all other
kinds of birds, such as crows, pies, hoopoes, blackbirds,
and the like, who can be taught human speech, talking
like men in divers tongues. Though the city is so full of
people, and though all the merchandise is left almost
unguarded, yet there is no man so old that he can re-
member anyone ever to have been slain there, and it is
very seldom that any of the goods for sale are stolen.
Each sort of thing that is sold there has a special market
to itself. In the market where victuals are sold there may
be seen every day the greatest crowd of people ever seen
together in one place, and every kind of food that you can
think of may be found there most exquisitely cooked.
They take the greatest care with these things, and sell
them all by weight and scales ; also sundry different sorts
of bread are sold there. In Damascus there is an exceed-
ing strong castle belonging to the Soldan, in which the
King of Damascus dwells. In the year of our Lord one
thousand three hundred and forty-one, on St. George's
Eve, there was a persecution and murder of Christians
by the King and mob of Damascus, even as of late^ there
was of the Jews in this country ; but the persecution did
not last for more than a month, and by God's grace was
well avenged through the Soldan, as you will hear here-
after. In Damascus there are very many churches, both
of Catholics and of heretics, and monasteries full of grace.
Of these the Saracens have taken one fair church to be
a church for themselves, wherein rests the body of that
most learned doctor and weighty authority, St. John of
Damascus. On the front of this church God's majesty
still remains nobly painted. Moreover, the river Pharphar
is artificially made to flow through Damascus, and turns

' According lo Dr. F. Deycks there was a Judeii verfolgung in
(jermany in 1348-9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND 131

many cunningly-devised mills. Round about Damascus
there are endless orchards and gardens, which bear grass,
herbs, fruit, roses, and flowers all the year round, and are
charming because of the songs of all kinds of birds and
birdlets, who sing more in the winter time than in the
summer heat. These gardens and orchards surround the
city for a distance of about two miles, and the whole
country, and even far-off lands, abound with their fresh
fruit all the year round, wherefore in the East it is a
common saying, * Damascus is the head of Syria,' and the
Greeks, out of their love and respect for it, always call
their eldest sons Polydamas — that is. City of Damascus.^
It would take long to tell of the other wonders and
beauties of Damascus. From Damascus it is less than
one day's journey to the mount which God showed to
Abraham, that he should sacrifice his son Isaac thereon.
This mount is called Seyr, or Sardenay.^ One first crosses

^ Dr. F. Deycks thinks this another proof that Ludolph did not
understand Greek.

2 ' De Damasco processi ad imaginem beate Virginis m Sardanii^
ubi est locus fortis super petra7n ad inodum caste lit, muratus in
circuitu^ i7i quo satis pulchra est ecclesia. Retro majus altare in muro
tabula quaedani tola nigra et Jminida cernitur^ in qua imago gloriosae
Virginis olim depicta fuisse asseriturj sed propter vetustatem nihil
de lineamentis figurae cernitur in eadein^ nisi quod iii aliqua parte color
rubeus mihi videbatur aliqualiter apparere. Haec tabula mediocris
quantitate est, supra vas quoddam marmoreum posita intra viurum
cancellis ferreis preinunita. De ipsa visibiliter oleum quasi continue
stillat, quod monachi recipientes de vase marmoreo quod subtiis est,
per cancellos ijnmisso cochleari peregrinis distribicunt satis large. Per
omnem modum videtm esse oleum olivae. Dicitur quod pro certo
aliquando de hac imagine oleum miraculose fluxerit j sed si hoc quod
modo fluit divino fiiiit miraculo, rationaliter dubito, et etia7n inulti
alii de veritate hujus facti nan ijn?nerito alternantur. Monachi et
moniales in predicto claustro sunt degentes. In casali pulchro quod
sub mo7ite est, Christiani schis77iatici cojn7nora7iiitr, bo7io vi7io sati
abundantes. Hie locus a Da77iasco sejungitur ad 7nediaiii diutimiam.^
— Wilhelm von Boldinsel. See also Sir John Maundeville, chap. xi. ;
Fabri, i., p. 391.

132

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEAfS

the two rivers of Damascus, Abana and Pharphar. Upon
this rocky mount Seyr, or Sardenay, a fair monastery has
been built in honour of St. Mary ; it is built on the rock
in an exceeding strong place, fenced about on every side
with exceeding strong walls like a castle, and is inhabited
by Greek monks and nuns. In this monastery, on the
spot where Abraham would have sacrificed Isaac, there
stands a fair church, wherein, behind the altar, in a semi-
circular arch in the wall, there is a figure of the Blessed
Mary suckling her child, painted from the waist upwards
upon a wooden tablet, and fenced with iron bars ; but the
painting is so black with age and kisses that one can
scarce make out that it was a figure, beyond that a little
red colour can still be seen in the clothing. Nevertheless,
through this figure God hath wrought many blessings,
wonders, and acts of grace. We read that in the times
when the Christians held the Holy Land in possession, a
certain widow, wishing to serve God, chose for herself and
made a hermitage on this mount, which she wished no man
to know of, that her devotions might not be hindered by
any worldly business. Howbeit she had one matron in
her secret, who from time to time visited her, brought her
necessaries, and ministered to her. It befell that once this
matron, her confidant, was about to visit Jerusalem and
the other holy places. The widow hermit humbly and
devoutly begged her that she would bring her a picture of
the Blessed Mary painted on a tablet, because from the
bottom of her heart she earnestly longed for it. The
matron promised to do this, and being given leave by the
hermit widow, went to holy Jerusalem, and, after visiting
all the holy places, obtained a tablet with a picture of
St. Mary, and journeyed to this Mount Seyr, or Sardenay.
When she was near the Jordan a terrible lion attacked her.
She could not flee, but with her hand protected herself

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND

133

against the lion's spring with the tablet, as with a shield.
The lion as soon as he touched the tablet burst asunder,
and the matron continued her interrupted journey, and
reached the mountain, but she hid what had befallen her
from the hermit widow. She told her many other things
about the holy places, and after she had told her all, the
widow asked the matron whether she had brought her the
tablet with the figure painted thereon. The matron, who
thought that the picture would always have the same
virtues which it had before, said that she had not brought
it, but that she had forgotten it. When the widow heard
this, she was sorry and deeply grieved, and could not help
bursting into tears. But at last, when the matron would
have gone her way, all the doors of the hermitage and
chapel closed and firmly shut her in. Seeing that this was
done by the will of God, the matron presently confessed
to the widow that she had the tablet, and told her through-
out what had befallen heron her journey with regard to the
lion, and other matters. When the widow heard this, she
many times gave thanks to God, received the tablet with
joy, respect, and devotion, and put it in the place where it
now stands. With tears and prayers, she gave honour to
Christ for the picture. At length this picture plainly
sweated oil, and the oil ran down into a little hollow made
in front of the picture_, and does run into it to this day ;
but because of the number of pilgrims, the monks now
eke it out with other oil and give it to pilgrims. But there
is no doubt that the picture does sweat oil, and within a
year this oil changes into milk, and the milk afterwards
changes into blood, which I have often seen with my
own eyes. Often at different times I have seen the oil
thus changed, and I have often had some of the oil thus
miraculously changed. This oil has great virtue against
storms at sea ; when it is hung up in a bottle in the ship's

134

LUDOLPH VON SUCHEM'S

Stern, the fiercest tempest straightway is still, which thing
I have often clearly seen. In many ways it is plain that
God hath an especial love for this place or mount, which
He showed to Abraham that he might sacrifice his son
thereon, because He hath wrought such miracles in honour
of His mother Mary, whose image is there painted, and
that even after so many troubles and invasions of the land
have come to pass, and the land itself has been so many
times and so strangely lost and won by divers peoples,
yet the monks and nuns of this place have ever remained
unharmed. We read, and the thing is still fresh in men's
minds, that when Haloon, who took Baldach, of whom I
have already made mention, had ravaged Egypt and all
Syria and the whole country, the monks and nuns of
this place were afraid, and thought of leaving it. Here-
upon God and the Blessed Virgin visibly appeared to
them and comforted them, so that they had no more fear
at all, and did not leave the place ; for they wished to
remain near God and the Virgin, who in visible shape
encouraged them all, and they never thereafter received
any hurt or damage from either man or beast, but in my
time were always in especial grace and favour with the
Soldan, who did them much good, and in everything pro-
tected them like a father. At the foot of the Mount Seyr
there is a very great and fair village, wherein dwell Greeks
and Syrians. It abounds with good wine and very many
other good things, and there both in summer and in
winter, year after year, bunches of fresh grapes are found
on the vines, which, indeed, are specially guarded and set
apart for this purpose ; and many other wonders and
miracles hath God wrought upon this mount, out of His
singular affection for it, by means of that picture, whereof
it would take long to tell.

135

XLV. — Of the Vale of Bokar, Lebanon, and
Beyrout.

Journeying onward from Mount Seyr, one sees many
things which need not be mentioned on the way, and
leaving the afore- mentioned cities of Arimathea and
Tripoli on the right hand, one comes to a valley named
Bokar, which to this day is called the Plain of Noah, for
there Noah dwelt after the flood. This plain is exceeding
fertile and rich, abounding greatly in meadows, pastures,
trees, fountains, flocks, fishes, and corn ; it is shut in
between mountains, and is inhabited by Saracen husband-
men. When you have seen and passed by all this, you
come to Mount Lebanon, whereof also I have already
made mention, and to the Black Mountains, which reach
as far as Antioch, and whereon grows the wood of
which the bows of crossbows^ are made. This wood is
carried away from these mountains to distant lands and
countries. At the foot of this mountain dwells a vast
multitude of Christians conforming to the Latin rite and
the Church of Rome, many of whose bishops I have seen
consecrated by Latin archbishops, and who ever long with
singular eagerness for the coming of Crusaders and the
recovery of the Holy Land.

After having seen all these and many other admirable
villages, places, and hamlets, one comes into a city by the
sea called Beyrout, whereof I have already made mention.
This city is a common thoroughfare for pilgrims, and near
it the glorious martyr St. George slew the dragon, and
converted the city and all the country to the Christian
faith. From Beyrout a man can return to any country

^ Marino Sanuto (lib. ii., pars iv., chap, xxii.) says that the best
wood for this purpose grew in Corsica.

136

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY LAND.

he pleases on this side of the Mediterranean Sea, a matter
which I leave to his own choice to settle.

These are the journeyings in the Holy Land, which
are trustworthy, although not along the common pilgrim-
routes, wherein I have viewed at my leisure all the afore-
said holy places and oratories, in the state and form wherein
they appeared in the aforesaid years of our Lord.

And I know that in no respect can my account be
impugned by any man living, for I bear testimony of
what I have seen or have heard from truthful men. This
account I have, as is most justly due, written out of the
devotion and respect which I owe to the Right Reverend
Father and Lord in Christ, Lord Baldwin, Bishop of the
Church of Paderborn, and in the name of the Lord I have
begun and finished the same, to whom be praise and glory
for ever and ever. Amen.

I X D E X.

Aachen, 127
Abgarus, 81
Abihu, 89

Abraham's garden, t i 5
Absalom's statue, iio
Aceldama, 1 10

„ vault of, 112
Achaia, 28
Acre, 52-61
Adalia, 13

Adam, earth whereof he was

made, 92
Aelius Hadrianus, 9S
Agatha, Sr., 24
Ahaziah, 54, 63
Ahazuerus. 76
Ajalon, 122
Alexandria, 45. 66, 8r
Algarve, 8
Aloes-wood, 41
'Altar to see to, an,' 121
Altelot, 31
Altpas, 25
Andreu-, St., 28
Anna and Joachim. 100
Annas, house of, 109
Anne, church of St., 100
Antioch, 135
Antony, St., 80
Apes, 9
Arabia, 83, 89

Archbishop of the Armenians,
100

Arimathaea, 63
'Arm of St. George," 9
Armenia, Lesser, 48
Armenia, 74

Armenians, Archbishop of the^

100
Arragon, 8

Arsuf, the Lord of, 52, 61
Ascalon, 49, 57. 65
Ashdod, 61
Asia Minor, 29
Assur, 65
Augustine, St., 22
Ayasahik. 31

Ayco, King of Armenin, 74
Ay OS Yainos, 20
Azotus, 61

Barel, tower of, 72
Babylon, ancient, 72. 73

,, modern, 06, 67, 81
Bael 65

Baguta, an old Saracen woman,

lOI

Baldach, 73-75

Baldwin von Steinfurth, Bishop

of Paderborn, i, 136
Baldwin L. King of Jerusalem,
62, 103
I Balsam, garden of, 68
Barbara, St., 71
Barbary, 9
Barnabas, St., 42
Baudekin. 73
Bedouins, 90
Beersheba, 91
Bel, Mount, 24
Belen, or Belus. river, 63
Belyab, 66
Bethlehem. 93-95
Bethsaida, 123
Bethshan, 52
Bethulia, 124
r>eziers, 1 1

Birds, migration of, 18, 19
Biterris, 11

Blanchegarde, 52, 126

138

INDEX.

Bokar, Vale of, 135
Boldinsel, Wilhelm von, 93, 104
Bolynas (Belinas), 128
Honayr, 22

Brunswick, Duke Henry of, 6
Bush, the burnino-j 84, 85
Bybhum. 45, 48, 49

Cachvm, 25

Caesarea of Palestine, 64
Cagliari, 22

Caiaphas, house of, 108
Cairo, 66, 67
Calf, molten, 89
Caliph, the, 73
Calvary, 98, 103, 104
Camels, 82
Cana of Galilee, 123
Candelor, 44
Candia, 33
Capernaum, 123
Carbuncles, 39
Carmel, Mount, 63, 119
Carrier pigeons, 80
Castel de Cal, 22
Castelroys, 35
Catalonia, gentlemen of, 6
Catalonians, 28
Catania, 23

Catharine, St., 42, 46, 86, 88
Chaldaea, 73
Cherson, 10

Cilicia, which is Lesser Armenia, 48

Clement, St., 10

Climate, 34

Colmat, 27

Cologne, 93

Colos, 33

Constantia, 42

Constantinople, 4-6, 105

Convent of St. Catharine, 84

Coral, 14, 83

Corinth, 28

Cornelius, house of, 64
Corsica, people who cure snake-
bite in, 21
Cos, 35
Crete, 33
Crocodiles, 77

Crombach, Hermann von, 68
Cross, St., church at Acre, 55
Cross-bows, wood for, 135
Cumana. 10
Cyphas (Haifa), 64

Cyprus, 38

Cyrene, Simon of, 107

Damascus, 129-13 i

„ St. John of, 130
Damietta, 66, 81
Dar, 66

David's castle, 102
Dead Sea, 116, 118
„ fruit, 116
Dehes, 125
Desert, the, 82
Dezenberg, 125
Diospolis, 65

Do7ninus dixit ad me., 1 26
Domitian, 29
Dor, 64

Dragon's well, the, 49

Edissa, 81
Egypt, 66
Elias, a friar, 88
Elijah, 88

„ fountain of, 64
EHm, 84, 89

Elyoneus (de Villeneuve), 34

Emmaus, 121, 122

Emperor Frederick, 27
„ Henry VII., 25
„ Justinian, 48
„ of the Romans, 76

Endor, 123

Engaddi, vineyard of, 39
Ennon, 67
Ephesus, 29-31
Epiphanius, Bishop, 42
Eustochium, 95
Eve, St. Martin's, 71
„ St. Barbara's, 71

Falconers, 43
Famagusta, 38
Field of Blood, 112
Florentines, 25
Forty martyrs, 1 1
Fountain, Elijah's, 64
Fountains in the streets

Alexandria, 46
Francolins, 130
Frederick, Emperor, 27
Fulke de Villaret, 34, 36

Gabael, 8 [
Galatas, 29

139

Galilee, 113, 119, 121

„ Sea of, 127
Galley, how it differs from a ship,

19, 20
Galmoab, 99
Garden, Abraham's, 115
Garp, 7, 8
Gath, 61
Gaza, 61, 65
Gazara, 115

Genoa, built out of the stones of

Athens, 28
Genoese, 29, 53, 54
George, St., 65

„ ' arm ' of, 9
,, and the dragon, 48,
135

Germans, 29, 61

Ghibellines, 54

Ghiblet, 49

Gibeon, 122

Gilboa, 124

Gloria in excelsis^ 96

Gloria^ laics, etc., 100

Godfrey of Bouillon, 103

Gomorrha, 116

Goshen, 67

Gozo, 28

Grapes, 39

Grup, 14

Guelfs, 54

Gulph, 13

Gulph de Leun, 22

Habbakuk, 122
Haifa, 64

Haloon, 74, 75, 134
Hebron, 91-93, 97
Helen of Troy, 39
Henry, the Emperor, 25
Hermon. Mount, 126
Hilary, St., 39
Horeb, 89
Home, de, 65
Hospital at Jerusalem, 106
Hospitallers, Knights, 34-37, 40,
53

House of Annas, 109

„ Caiaphas, 108

„ Cornelius, 64

„ Pilate, 108

„ Simon the leper, 114
Hunting, 32, 43

i Ibelin, 52

Hugh de, 49
Inda, river, 1 1
India, 84

Jaffa, 49, 57

„ Count of, 43
James the Less, St., 100
Japhet, 128

Jehoshaphat, Valley of, 97, no
Jeremiah the prophet, 99
Jericho, 114, 115

„ roses of, 91
Jerome, St., 94-96
Jerusalem, account of, 97-114
Jethro, 89

Jewels at Cyprus, 41
Joachim and Anna, 100
Job's sepulchre, 128
John, St., 29

„ the Baptist, monastery of,
119 ; place where he was
beheaded, 46

,, of Damascus, St., 130

„ Prester, 83, 84
Jonah, 65
Joppa, 65
Jordan, 119

Joseph, pit into which he was

cast, 97
Joshua, 89

Judas Maccabeus, 54
Justinian, Emperor, 48
„ statue of, 5

Karioth, St., 93
Kishon, 124

Knights Hospitallers, 34-47, 40
53

Laetare Jerusalem, 13

Lango, 35

Lazarus, St., 53

Lebanon, 41, 47, 48. 135

Legend of how the ladies of Acre

were brought to Cyprus, 58
Leopards, hunting, 43
License from the Pope to visit

the Holy Land, 4
Lichtenstein, Prince of, 44
Limasol, 38
Lion, story of a, 121
Lombards, King of the, 22
Lot's wife, 117, 118

I40

Louis, St., 8 1
Lucia, St., 27
Luitprand, 22
Lydda, 65

Macarius, St., 22, 80

Macrjiificat, church of the, loS

Mahomet, 73, 100

Malta, 27

Mambre, 92

Mamma, St., 39

Marah, 84

Margaret of Sicilv, 107
Mark, St., church o»',rii Alexandria,
46

Martha's house, 1 14

Martin, St., 71

Martyrs, the forty, 1 1

.Mastic, 29

Matthias, St., 102

Melar^ 16

Melchisedech, 99

Melot Sapheraph, 55

Metharonta, 47

Micah the prophet, 96

Michael, Feast of St., 78

Milk, the Virgin's, 95

Minden, diocese of, 92

Miraculous picture at .Sardenav,

132
Mirrhea, 33
Molten calf, 89
Monreal, Archbishop of, 23
Montost, 114
Montreal, 118
Morea, 28, 29
Mount Bel, 24

,, Cachym, 25

„ Calvary, 104

„ Carmel, 63

„ Hermon, 126

„ Lebanon, 41, 47, 48, 135

„ of Olives, account of, 112
Seir, 131

,, Tabor, 126

„ Vulcan, 26
Mourning worn for the loss of

Acre, 60
Munster, cathedral of, 103
Myra, 33

Nadab, 89
Nain, 123

Naples, 6, 22
Narbonne, 11
Nazareth, 108
Neapoli, de, 50

Nicholas, a canon of the Holy

Sepulchre, 107
Nicholas, a Christian captiv^e, 71

St., 33, 48
Nicopolis, 122
Nicosia, 42
Nile, river, 76-79, 81
Nubians, chapel of the, 103

Oil, miraculous, from Sardenav,
133

Oil of St. Catharine, 86
Orb of sovereignty, 5, 41
Order of St. Thomas of Canter-
bury, 40, 53
Order of St. Lazarus, 53

Padere, 47
Paderborn, 47

„ diocese of, 125
Paphos, 38
Parroquets, 79
Partridges, 79
Patara, 33
Patmos, 29
Patras, 28
Paula, St., 95
Pavia, 22
Pera, 29
Persia, 74, 75
Perusians, 25
Peyra, 32
Philistia, 61

Picture, miraculous, at Sardenay,
132

Pigeons, carrier, 80
Pilate, house of, 108
Pilgrim's Castle. 65
Pisa, 25, 54
Pisans, the, 53

Pope, licence from to visit the

Holy Land, 4
Potter's field, 1 10
Pravimunt, 40
Prester John, 83, 84
Pugia, 9

Pyramids, 71, 72
QUARENTENA, I I 5

INDEX.

141

Rachel's ToiMB, 97
Rages, 81
Ramaiha, 121
Red Sea, 82, 83
Relics of St. Catharine, 86
Renegades at Hebron, 92, 93
Rhodes, 32
Robert, King, 102
Rock, the holy, 98, 99
Romans, Emperor of the, 76
Roses of Jericho, 91
Ruma, 65

Sagette, 50
St. Agatha, 24
St. Andrew, 28
St. Antony, 80, 85
St. Augustine, 22
St. Barbara, 71
St. Barnabas, 42

St. Catharine of Alexandria, 42,

46, 86, 88
St. Clement, 10

St. Cross, church of, at Acre, 55 ;

Santa Croce in Cyprus, 40
St. George, 65

„ ' arm ' of, 9
„ and the dragon, 48,
135

St. Hilary, 39

St. James the Less, 100

St. Jerome, 94-96

St. John, 29

„ the Baptist, monastery
of, 119; place where
he was beheaded, 46

St. John of Damascus, 130

St. Karioth, 93

St. Lazarus, 53

St. Louis, 81

St. Lucia, 27

St. Macarius, 22, 80

St. Mamma, 39

St. Mark, church of, at Alex-
andria, 46
St. Martin, 71
St. Matthias, 102
St. Michael, Feast of, 78
St. Nicholas, 33, 48
St. Paula, 95
St. Thomas, 81
St. Zyzonimus, 39
Salamina, 42
■S alius Domini^ 125

Samaria, 121
Samson, 61
Sancea, (2ueen, 102
S'ta. Croce, 40
Sardenay, 131
Sardinia, 21
Satalia, 13, 44
Sauper, isle of, 22
Scalnun, 44
Scandalium, 61-63
Schobach, u8
Schwartzenberg, 44, 70
Scola, 28

Sea of Galilee, 127

„ Tiberias, 127
Seboim, 1 16
Seir, Mount, 131-1 35
Sepphora, 64

Sepulchre, the Holy, 104, 105
Shiloh, 121

Ship, how it differs from a galley,
19, 20; the greatest in the
world, 22

Shittim wood, 79

Shoals, 14

Sichar, 121

Sicily, 23-26

Sicki, 44

Sidon, 49, 50, 52, 57
Siloam, no

Silver, the thirty pieces of, no
Simon the Leper, 114
Sin, Wilderness of, 84
Sion, Mount, loi
Sleyde, the lord of, 44
Sodom, 1 16
Solomon's porch, 98
Sophia, S'ta., 5

Stag, how Ludolph's comrades

slew a, 32
Starkenberg, the lord of, 48
Steinfurth, Baldwin von, i
Stichi, 80
Stone cups, 7
Stork, a, 19
Storms at sea, 12, 22
Suchem, i
Susa, 76

Swimmers in the Nile, 77
Syo, isle of, 29
Syracuse, 27

Tabor, 41, 125, 126
Tarsus, 48

142

INDEX.

Tartars, lo

Templars, 38, 40, 53, 56, 59, 64,
77

Temple, the Lord's, 98-100

Teutonic Order, 40, 53, 57

Theologos, 31

Thirty pieces of silver, no

Thomas, St., 81

Thoulouse, Count of, 47

Tiberias, 127

Titus, 98, 102

Tournaments, 76

Troy, 20, 34, 39

Troya marina, 15

Tryphon, 54

Tunnyfish, 27

Turbots, 6

Turkey, 29

Turks, 29, 30 et saep.

Tyre, 50, 57

Tyriac (treacle), 117

Ur, 89

Urban, Pope, 54

Valley of the Jordan, 120

Valley of Bokar, 135
Vaus, 52

Venice, built out of the stones

of Troy, 20, 28
Venus, 38
Venusberg, 38
Veronica, 8i
Vespasian, 98, 102
Vianden, Count of, 44
Villani's account of Acre, 50
ViUaret, Fulke de, 34, 36
Villeneuve, Helion de, 34
Voyage across the sea, 19
Vulcan, Mount, 26

Washerwomen, story of, 9
Well, the dragon's, 49
Wilderness of Sinai, 89
Wine, 65 ; of Cyprus, 44

Yblim, 123

Zacharia, city of, 108
Zalabin, a Turk, 30
Zoar, 118

Zyzonimus, St., 39

THE END.

BILLING AND SONS, I'lUNTERS, GUILDFORD.

DS Palestine Pilgrims' Text

102 Society, London

P2 The library

1896

V.12

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY

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